This two-volume work by Theodor Koch-Grünberg (1872–1924), director of the Ethnographical Museum in Berlin, tells the story of his major expedition to North-West Brazil and describes the indigenous tribes and the local geography. In contrast to Koch-Grünberg's many monographs and essays on the same subject (listed in his Foreword), this book is directed at a lay readership. Koch-Grünberg states his aim of correcting a false impression of the indigenous peoples drawn from 'novels about Indians read during one's youth' and the accounts of his explorations are permeated by a deeply-held respect for the humanity he encounters. Although its primary interest to scholars lies in its anthropological and ethnographical content, the text is full of botanical, geographical and linguistic detail, interspersed with photographs taken by the author. Volume 1, published in 1909, covers the author's travels from Pará to São Felippe.