The Search for El Dorado by John Hemming is a very readable overview of Spanish colonization with a fascinating insight into the conquest of Colombia. Colombia by Harvey F Kline is a well-balanced overview of Colombian history.

Kings of Cocaine by Guy Gugliotta and Jeff Leen (two Miami Herald journalists) is a detailed insight into Colombia's drug cartels and reads like a fast-paced thriller. Simon Strong's Whitewash maps out the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar and the cocaine wars.

The Fruit Palace by Charles Nicholl is an excellent and fascinating introduction to Colombia's often crazy reality, from Indian mountain villages to ramshackle bars. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, Colombia's foremost contemporary writer and Nobel Prize winner, is a wonderful vivification of Colombian culture and philosophy.

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