Publications (books)

 


1973.  Brusca, R. C.  A Handbook to the Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California. 427 pp., 295 figs.  Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson.  Out of print.




1978. Brusca, G. J. & R. C. Brusca.  A Naturalist's Seashore Guide. Common Marine Life of the Northern California Coast and Adjacent Shores.  205 pp.  Mad River Press, CA.  Out of print, but usually available through Amazon.com.




1980.  Brusca, R. C.  Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California. 2nd Edition.  513 pp, 340 figs, 243 B&W photos, color photos.  Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.  Available from the publisher or Amazon.com (or as a reduced-size pdf here Brusca 1980 Gulf Handbook SMALL.pdf)



1992.  Brusca, R. C. and M. E. Hendrickx (eds.).  Benthic Macro-Crustaceans of the Eastern Tropical Pacific.  San Diego Natural History Museum and Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.  134 pp.  [Proceedings 9-27, San Diego Society of Natural History]  Available from the San Diego Natural History Museum (http://sdnhm.org/science/publications/)



2001.  Kensley, B. and R. C. Brusca (eds).  Isopod Systematics and Evolution.  Crustacean Issues 13, A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam.  365pp.  Available from the publisher (Balkema), Amazon.com, and other on-line book sellers.





2003.  Brusca, R. C. and G. J. Brusca.  Invertebrates. 2nd edition.  Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.  936 pp.  Available from the publisher (Sinauer), Amazon.com, and other on-line book sellers.  Also available in Spanish (2nd ed), Portuguese (2nd ed), and Italian (1st ed).  View the best testimonial ever (University of Brazil, Sao Paulo students):  Testimonial.mov



2004.  Brusca, R. C., E. Kimrey and W. Moore.  Seashore Guide to the Northern Gulf of California.  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press, Tucson, AZ.  203 pp.  Available from the publisher (http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/) or the authors.





2004.  Nabhan, G. P., R. C. Brusca and L. Holter (eds.).  Conserving Migratory Pollinators and Nectar Corridors in Western North America.  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Studies in Natural History.  University of Arizona Press & Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.  190 pp.  Available from the publisher (http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/books.php).




2004.  Nagler, P., E. Glenn and R. C. Brusca.  Photographic Atlas of Esteros and Other Coastal Wetlands of Conservation Interest in the Northern Gulf of California.  147 pp.  Published by the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum as a working atlas for wetlands researchers in the Gulf of California.  Out of print.


2005.  Hendrickx, M. E., R. C. Brusca, and L. T. Findley (eds.).  A Distributional Checklist of the Macrofauna of the Gulf of California, Mexico. Part I. Invertebrates.  [Listado y Distribución de la Macrofauna del Golfo de California, México, Parte I. Invertebrados]. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Conservation International.  429 pp.  Available from ASDM Press (http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/) or from R. Brusca.



2010.   Brusca, R. C. (ed.).  The Gulf of California: Biodiversity and Conservation.  ASDM Studies in Natural History.  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press & University of Arizona Press.  336 pp.  Available from the University of Arizona Press (http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/books.php) or from R. Brusca.


Read Reviews: Rowell review 2012.pdf Park Review 2011.pdf



2010.  Brusca, R. C., M. A. Dimmitt and G. M. Montgomery (eds.).  Desert Gardens. A Photographic Tour of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  177 pp.  Cool Springs Press (Brentwood, TN) and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press (Tucson, AZ).  Available from ASDM Press (http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/).




2013.  Brusca, R. C. and W. Moore.  A Natural History of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, with an Introduction to the Madrean Sky Islands.  Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Press.  Winner: Southwest Books of the Year (2013), Best Reads.


Available from the ASDM Press: http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/book_detail.php?press_id=42), from Amazon.com, local booksellers, etc.  Read reviews at:

  •  http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/meeting-the-mountains/Content?oid=3774183

  • http://uanews.org/story/rain-gods-in-a-desert-sea-new-book-celebrates-southern-arizona-s-mountains



2016.   Brusca, R. C., W. Moore and S. Schuster.  Invertebrates, 3rd ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.


Invertebrates is the largest selling invertebrate zoology text in the world, and is in four languages (also available Portuguese version).







2018.  Brusca, R. C., W. Moore and S. Schuster.  Invertebrados, 3a Edição.  Translation by Guanabara Koogan.  Saraiva Academic Press, São Paulo, Brazil.  [Portuguese version]


Available at  https://www.passeidireto.com/livro/invertebrados-3-edicao-9788527733458






  1. 2019. Brusca, R. C.  In the Land of the Feathered Serpent. A Novel.  Quetzalcoatl Press/KDP.   Please visit:  featheredserpent.online


In the 1980s, many countries in Latin America were on the verge of breaking free from decades of dictatorial rule by despots propped up the U.S. government.  In the Land of

the Feathered Serpent is the story of a bright but naïve young marine biologist, with an outsized libido and a hypersensitive nose, who finds himself on a Homeric journey of discovery in Mexico and Central America during this period.  Odel Bernini’s journey takes place both in the physical terrain and in the landscape of his mind, as he travels through the lowland jungles of the great Petén rainforest, to the 10,000-foot high sierras

of Guatemala’s Maya country.  Our hero gets caught up with the CIA, is seduced by a dark siren, is nearly killed by a Cyclops, and discovers he has the power of astral projection.  In the end, Odel finds himself transformed in many ways.  An adventure

story and mystery, Odel’s journey explores themes of politics, love, truth, deception,

and personal growth.  The facts, places, and most characters in the story are real.  Odel Bernini and his close friends are, however, purely fictional.


• Featured Novel, San Francisco & Manhattan Book Reviews  CLICK HERE

• 2022 Finalist for Somerset International Award for Literary Fiction

•  Best novel, 2022 BIBA Book Awards

•  Available at select bookstores and on Amazon.com in print and Kindle formats CLICK HERE




















2022.  Brusca, R. C., G. Giribet, W. Moore.    Invertebrates, 4th ed.  Sinauer Associates/Oxford University Press.  eBook and print version.



2023.  Brusca, R. C.  The Time Travelers.  Quetzalcoatl Press/KDP.


The Time Travelers recounts the rise of the Aztec Empire, the founding of the first Mexico City (Tenochtitlan), its destruction at the hands of Hernán Cortés, and the building of modern Mexico City upon its ashes.  But the Aztec bloodline lives on today, holding ancient knowledge known to only a few.  The discovery of a magnificent Aztec object buried near Mexico City’s Zócalo and National Cathedral pulls an archaeologist, an odd Jesuit priest, a police detective, and two beautiful divas from two time periods together in an unexpected and fast-paced mystery.  The collision of characters and events, prophesied in an ancient Aztec codex, leads to an astonishing incident in which time is disrupted and the past and present collide.  Available for Kindle or as paperback on Amazon.com and at selected bookstores.   2024 IPPY (Independent Publishers) Book Award, Hispanic Fiction.  2023 Distinguished Favorite, New York City Book Reviews.  Top 10 books by Southern Arizona Authors, 2023.   Reviewed at https://sanfranciscobookreview.com/product/the-time-travelers/





June 2025.  The Divide Between Humanities and Science. Why it Matters and How it Can be Repaired.  Ethics Press, Cambridge.


June 2025.   Humanities are the cultural undertakings (art, music, literature, theater, philosophy, etc.) that set us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. Humanities teach us to think creatively, reason, and analyse complex situations. They offer practical skills crucial in professional settings, like critical thinking, empathy, cross-cultural acceptance, reading and writing skills, and clear communication. The humanities steer us away from xenophobia and toward understanding and empathy. They broaden our mind in ways that are healthy for individuals and society.  The humanities have become increasing siloed and distant from science. This book will address the reasons for this and the harm it is doing, and it illustrates ways to bring these endeavours back together that are beneficial to both disciplines.  Today, few scholars work comfortably across science and humanities. This volume will express the views of some individuals who do so, producing creative works that express the nature of how a blending of these great human pursuits can be accomplished.