An authoritative and concise introduction to an area of such great economic potential is certainly needed. This history has been written by a specialist who was closely connected with Latin America for over 40 years. His text emphasizes how many races and classes have contributed to the civilization of this great land-mass, with its vast mountain ranges, rivers, prairies, forests, and deserts: Indians, European conquistadores, priests, planters, African slaves, caudillos, liberal intellectuals, and commercial pioneers.