The Spanish Seaborne Empire

Rating:
Summary: Useful and readable...
Review: I had to read this book for a class regarding History of Latin America, and I found it to be both interesting and helpful. I read it quite quickly, and afterwards I decided to buy it (I had borrowed it from a friend).

Parry explains how the "Americas" were colonized by Spain, and what happened in the "New World" from the XVth to the XIXth century. The task is difficult, but he pulls it off incredibly well. The reader learns, but also enjoys reading "The Spanish Seaborne Empire", probably because J. H. Parry manages to make histoy appealing. In my opinion, that is the trademark of really good historians.

The book includes several illustrations and maps, and it is organized in five parts. Part I is about "The establishment of Empire", and part II deals with "The responsibilities of Empire" (for example, the spreading of the faith and law enforcement). Part III talks about "The cost of Empire" (demographic catastrophe, economic dependence, etc...), and part IV discusses "The endurance of Empire" (specially its growth and consequent need of reorganisation). Finally, part IV considers "The desintegration of Empire". The author wraps up the book nicely with a conclusion titled "The aftermath of Empire".

On the whole, I think this is a remarkably good book, that somehow ends up being both useful and readable. I can recommend it to students, but also to people who just want to read a good book about Latin American history :)

Belen Alcat