Book List

Pre-Columbian & Conquest
Colonial Period
Mexico / Texas
Brazil
Central America and the West Indies

By Terry Hooker


Pre-Columbian & Conquest:

The Spanish Conqistadores, by F. A. Kirkpatrick, pub. A. & C. Black Ltd, London, 1934, pp.353, 7 maps, I already had the paperback version that I bought some 20 years ago, but I could not resist obtaining this 1st edition as it was hardback plus it had 2 extra maps that were left out in the later version, a classic work.

Spanish and French Rivalry in the Gulf Region of the United States, 1678-1702: The Beginnings of Texas and Pensacola, by William Edward Dunn, pub. University of Texas Bulletin, No.1705, January 20, 1917, pp.227, 5 maps, having spent 16 months in the Archivo General de Indias, Seville, Spain from 1914, the author examined approximately 1,000 bundles of documents covering the period from 1675-1821 that covered Spanish activities within this region, one can only hope that there are other such Bulletins that cover the later periods by the same author, a really interesting and helpful work that goes into more detail than most, and it's in English, a good aid.

Colonial Period:

The American Revolution and the West Indies, edited by Charles W. Toth, pub. National University Publications, Kennikat Press, Port Washington, N.Y. 1975, pp.225, 19 chapters that present a well rounded history of these islands and the 13 American colonies, before, during and after the revolution, islands included are Cuba, Barbados, St. Croix, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, St. Eustatius, Saint Domingue, Bahamas and Jamaica, should be looked upon as a good beginning book as each chapter ought to be a book by itself, some are.

Gálvez y la Guerra de la Independencia Americana, parts 1 & 2, by Antonio Soau Forés, pub. Boletin de la Agrupacion de Miniaturistas Militares de Espańa, Nos. 139 & 141, pp.4-22, & 4-30 respectively, some interesting details on the forces, the 2nd part has included illustrations by C. A. Norman that were first used in El Dorado on the siege of Pensacola.

Bicentenario de las Banderas de las Milicias del Nuevo Reino de Granada 1794, by Luis Grávalos González, pub. Dragona magazine, No.5. Vol.2. 1994, pp.44-47, shows four escudos or shields, used in the flags for units from Santa Maria, Panama, Guayaquil and Cartagena, handy information to have, as these standards could have been used in the early period of the War of Independence by these units.

Swamp Ambush in East Florida, by Joseph H. Alexander, pub. Military History, March 1998, pp.38-44, relates to the U.S. expedition of 1812-3 into the Spanish Province of East Florida that did not succeed, unlike the example of Baton Rouge in Spanish West Florida in 1811, an informative article on a neglected subject.

Marked Spanish Colonial Military Buttons of the Gulf Coast Region, circa 1793-1821, by John T. Powell, pub. Military Collector & Historian, Journal of the Company of Military Historians, Washington D.C., Vol.49, No.1., Spring 1998, pp.2-11, a topic that is so often overlooked, good reference material and illustrations on buttons that have been found / dug up in this region, obviously this is not a complete summary of all the various buttons used by Spanish units that were stationed here, but it is a very good start.

Central America and the West Indies:

Spain and the Abolition of Slavery in Cuba, 1817-1886, by Arthur F. Corwin, pub. Institute of Latin American Studies by the University of Texas Press, Monograph No. 9., 1967, illus., pp.333, I have seen this book sitting on the shelf in the bookstore for at least a year but I have always found other titles that took preference, but thinking that it might help in understanding how the cause for Independence from Spanish rule could also involve the struggle for the abolition of slavery in Cuba, which it does, in fact it would appear that after the U.S.A. cooled on the idea of taking over in Cuba and bringing it into the slave state lobby, the Cubans who wanted self-government changed their attitude and took up the call for abolition and liberation so that the masses would side with them, while leaving their ex-allies, the slave owning planters of the island, to fend for themselves with the Spanish authorities.

Fatal Glory: Narciso Lopez and the First Clandestine U.S. War against Cuba, 1848-1851, by Tom Chaffin, pub. University Press of Virginia, 1996, illus., 1 map, pp.267, this book describes the five attempts to dislodge the Spanish authorities in Cuba by Narciso Lopez and his band of filibusters, while also looking into the background on who and what company's were backing him, a very interesting period for North American foreign policy researchers, if you like the stories of William Walker, then this is one for you too, must admit that this is the first book that I have seen on these expeditions or the man, so a very useful work.

From Yorktown to Santiago: With The Sixth U.S. Cavalry, by Lt. Colonel W. H. Carter, pub. State House Press, Austin, Texas 1989, 1st pub. 1900, illus., pp.317, only chapter 12 deals with the Spanish American War, pp.281-303, but for a good contemporary account of this unit then these few pages which is good to cross reference with other accounts, its accounts on the Indian Wars are also very interesting.

Admiral of the New Empire: The Life and Career of George Dewey, by Ronald Spector, pub. University of South Carolina Press, 1st pub. 1974, this edition 1988, softback, illus., pp.214, this I list under Spanish American War even though his actions were in the Pacific Theatre of operations and this period is covered from pages 40 -100, an interesting and helpful read.

Spanish - American War 1898, by Ron Field, pub. Brassey's History of Uniforms, London 1998, pp.142, I am pleased to say that I helped on this book, as it is the best one that I have seen on the uniforms and equipment of this war, using contemporary photographs of both sides and coloured photographs of original flags and artifacts from private collections and museums, some of whom are members of this society, the Spanish Army during this War has always been a subject that I have wanted to bring together all of the data in my files to produce a good article, I don't have to now as Ron has pieced all my uniform data together to help with his text and his own researches on the subject to produce a very informative section on the Spanish troops, hopefully this work will help figure manufacturers to create a good variety of figures on this war and a better understanding of the Spanish troops that took part in this War which, in my opinion, has been lacking, recommended.

Taking San Juan Hill, by Ron Field, pub. Military Illustrated magazine, No.122, July 1998, pp.25-30, a nice article with a few illustration not already published in Ron's main book on the Spanish - American War, while the text is also new and not just reprinted from the book.

The Ship That Sunk Spain, by Ron Field, pub. Military Illustrated, No.122, pp.31-32, this small article is on the re-enactment group who use Commodore Dewey's flagship, USFC Olympia as their theme, the ship is anchored at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia and is a floating museum for the period, well worth a visit if you happen to be in that city.

On To Cuba, pub. Military Images magazine, No.1. Vol. XX, July-August 1998, pp.7-18, made up of photographs sent in by the readership of the magazine showing various scenes and uniforms of U.S. troops during 1898.

Spanish Troops in the Philippines, 1896-98, by Ron Field, pub. Military Images, No.1. Vol. XX, pp.25-27, another small article by Ron using illustrations from his book but with a re-worked text. Photos and Illustrations from the Spanish American War 1898, by Richard Brooks, pub. The Heliograph, No. 107, June 1998, pp.16-35, 47 photographs and illustrations, some good photographs of small Spanish forts in Cuba.

Guerrilla Prince: The Untold Story of Fidel Castro, by Georgie Anne Geyer, pub. Little Brown and Co., Boston, 1991, illus., pp.431, there are so many books on this person that I often leave those titles at the bottom of my wanted list when in a bookshop, although this work is supposed to be better than the rest and looks into the man rather than the legend, time will tell.

Cromwell's Western Design: Adventure in Imperialism, by K. Gird Romer, pub. Military and Naval History Journal, No.7. March 1998, pp.35-41, a nice short article, that tends to make the reader want to know more about the expedition, I was under the impression that Cromwell wanted to rid his Army of Levellers and used this expedition to do so, maybe there's a grain or two of truth in that, as the politics of the day, internal and external are quite interesting.

The Civil War in Nicaragua: Inside the Sandinistas, by Roger Miranda and William Ratliff, pub. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick, U.S.A. 1994, pp.298, softback Roger Miranda was, from 1982 to the end of 1987, chief of the Sandinista Defense Ministry Secretariat and the top aide to Defense Minister and Comandante Humberto Ortega, and this knowledge is utilised in creating a guide to the inner workings of the Sandinista Regime, some interesting information and viewpoints.

Blood of Brothers: Life and War in Nicaragua, by Stephen Kinzer, pub. G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1991, illus., pp.441, Stephen Kinzer was the New York Times bureau chief in Nicaragua and spent 13 years there reporting the events, using the anecdotes and experiences that never made it into the daily paper, this work in years to come will be most enlightening because of these personal memories.

From Vietnam to El Salvador: The Saga of the FMLN Sappers and Other Guerrilla Special Forces in Latin America, by David E. Spencer, pub. Praeger, Westport, Connecticut, 1996, illus., pp.165, the title had me going until I read the first chapter which explained it all, now this is a really good military book, containing details on organisation and tactics, while informing you of the various sub-divisions that existed, which to the vast majority of people in the street would never even know that they had been created, a must for anyone interested in modern Guerrilla Warfare.

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