A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and Carib to the Present [Paperback]

Jan Rogonzinski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2000

The first complete history of the Caribbean islands--updated through the year 2000.

This comprehensive volume takes the reader and student through more than five hundred years of Caribbean history, beginning with Columbus's arrival in the Bahamas in 1492. A Brief History of the Caribbean traces the people and events that have marked this constantly shifting region, encompassing everything from economic booms and busts to epidemics, wars, and revolutions, and bringing to life such important figures as Sir Francis Drake, Blackbeard, Toussaint Louverture, Fidel Castro, the Duvaliers, and Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

This superbly written history, revised and updated, with new chapters that reflect the islands' most recent social, economic, and political developments, is a work of impeccable scholarship. Featuring maps, charts, tables, and photographs, it remains the ideal guide to the region and its people.

"A veritable sourcebook of information . . . analysis, description, interpretation . . . interesting and useful."--Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Offered as a brief history of a diverse and intriguing region, this work is a veritable sourcebook of information about the Caribbean, ranging from the climate to vegetation to colonial history to politics. The book, in five parts, covers Spanish rule, the northern European influence, the sugar empire, independence, and post-World War I development. Textual clarity, access to straightforward tables covering primarily demographic information, and various statistics will prove useful to the reader looking for a ready reference source. The author delivers on his claim to provide analysis as well as description, and the general reader will find many interesting interpretations and much data. Highly recommended for all libraries.
- Roderic A. Camp, Latin American Ctr., Tulane Univ., New Orleans, La.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

A freelance writer specializing in historical and technical subjects, Jan Rogozinski holds a Ph.D. in social and cultural history from Princeton University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452281938
• ISBN-13: 978-0452281936
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Organized, History Lesson of the Region, June 2, 2000

By 

Luis Hernandez (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and the Carib to the Present (Paperback)

I bought the first edition of this book over 8 years ago, and couldn't let it down. "A Brief History of the Caribbean," by Jan Rogozinski simply is one of the most well researched and organized books on Caribbean history ever published. As a Latin American Studies major in college, this book was very reliable and informative in many of studies, and it allowed me, by utilizing the many maps and charts found in the book, to understand the very nature of Caribbean politics, culture, and most importantly, history. Everything from Pre-Colombian civilization to Post-Independence woes are covered here, and the author has released an updated edition with information as recent as of January 1999. I strongly recommend that readers of this book also read "A Continent of Islands," by Mark Kurlansky to gain more knowledge of this beautiful but troubled region.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Brief History of the Caribbean, April 22, 2000

By 

S. Dobbins "winepro" (Long Beach, California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and the Carib to the Present (Paperback)

Scholarly written and factually correct it reads like a textbook; the main flaw is the style in which it is written. The author digresses with each chapter into material already covered in one or more chapters previous. Thus it is possible to re-read an account of events-nearly verbatim-in two or three different chapters on different islands. This makes comprehension more difficult and resorts to unneeded redundency. Nevertheless, the book is enjoyable, if very slow reading.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A brief history, May 9, 2000

By 

C. Lee "Sweet Jamaican" (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Brief History of the Caribbean: From the Arawak and the Carib to the Present (Paperback)

This book serves ideally as a brief overview of Caribbean History. It does not delve deeply into any specific topic. As a history teacher in the Caribbean I would not hesitate to recommend it to persons who are interested in knowing a little about the history of the Caribbean. Due to its simple language, tables and illustrations, I would also recommend it to my students as an introduction to Caribbean History. This book covers a wide range of topics spanning more than 500 years compactly displayed in 324 pages.