PENGUIN HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA

'IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ALL ABOUT LATIN AMERICAN POLITICS, ECONOMICS AND CULTURE . . . EVERYTHING OF MAJOR IMPORTANCE . . . READ THIS BOOK' Evening Standard

Now fully updated to 2009, this acclaimed history of Latin America tells its turbulent story from Columbus to Chavez. Beginning with the Spanish and Portugese conquests of the New World, it takes in centuries of upheaval, revolution and modernization up to the present day, looking in detail at Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Cuba, and gives an overview of the cultural developments that have made Latin America a source of fascination for the world.

'A first-rate work of history ...... His cool, scholarly gaze and synthesizing intelligence demystify a part of the world peculiarly prone to myth-making ...... This book covers an enormous amount of ground, geographically and culturally' Tony Gould, Independent on Sunday

'An excellent general history . . .clear in its narrative, interesting in its analysis and consistently intelligent in its judgements' Anthony McFarlane, The Times Higher Education Supplement

'The prose flows easily . . . He has used most of the enormous number of up-to-date sources . . . The Cuban section is particularly good' Hugh Thomas, The Times