Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Initiated by the Caribe-Centro America Committee of the Conference on Latin American History, this outstanding guide to Central American and Caribbean research complements two previous guides: Richard Greenleaf's Research in Mexican History (CH, Oct '73) and Research Guide to Andean History (1981). The work is conveniently organized into a section on Central America and one on the Caribbean, and is subdivided into two additional subsections. The first of these describes the current state of research on each area or topic, with useful suggestions for future research. The second subsection describes in considerable detail the many archives and manuscript repositories not only in Central America and the Caribbean, but also outstanding collections in the US, Canada, the UK, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Information provided generally includes the names of contact people, a brief history of the repository or collection, addresses and phone numbers, hours of operation, and the availability of photocopying or microfilming facilities. Comments are made on the peculiarities of each repository and the presence and reliability of various guides and catalogs. What is surprising when considering Central America and the Caribbean, ever prone to the vagaries of weather and politics, is not how much of the historical record has been lost but, rather, how much has been preserved. This guide should serve as a catalyst in stimulating needed research on a comparatively neglected part of the world. Indispensable for all research libraries with programs in Latin American and/or Caribbean history.-B.E. Coutts, Rice University