Latin America and The Caribbean: Lands and Peoples

By David L. Clawson

Book Overview

Now proudly published by Oxford University Press, Latin America and the Caribbean: Lands and Peoples, Fourth Edition, by David L. Clawson, will be available for use in fall courses. Renowned for its currency, clarity, and rich art and map program, this exceptional text is ideal for courses in the geography of Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Integrating topics from virtually all of the social and physical sciences, it also provides a unique interdisciplinary introduction to the region.

Latin America and the Caribbean, Fourth Edition, features a thematic organization that highlights the commonalities within this highly diverse, rapidly changing region. It focuses on comprehension of concepts, patterns, and issues rather than on memorization of facts and figures. Numerous photos, charts, and illustrations help to convey a sense of how people live and give students a feel for the region. Easily accessible to beginning students, the text is also generously documented with scholarly references in order to meet the research needs of advanced undergraduate and graduate students. The individual chapters can be used in their entirety or in part, and in any order.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 019976624X
• ISBN13: 9780199766246
• Release Date: June 2010
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 10.8" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive, but spotty in places

Clawson's text on Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the few texts that attempts comprehensive coverage of these regions with a thematic, rather than regional, approach. It is a fair, balanced, and well-written treatise on the cultural and physical landscapes of the large region to our south. And yet, in many ways, it is a frustrating text. There is a lack of basic data from this text that confounds students. For example, there is no mention of basic facts, such as the largest economy in Latin America. No table provides GDP (gross domestic product), GNP (gross national product) or similar figures, although GDP/per capita is provided. There are helpful illustrations, tables, and photographs and all are of generally high quality with one exception: the first section's reprints from Goode's Atlas, where fuzzy resolution blurs student use of the maps. This is a good general text for geography, history, economics, and anthropology classes but the cost makes it very difficult to combine this text with more regional emphasis. At $65.00, this is no cheap paperback, and the high price is even more glaring when one considers the small size of the volume. 3rd edition addendum: Clawson's text has been improved with better use of graphics, updated stats, and some color. Still my choice of texts for Latin Americanist geography courses (at least survey ones). Updated 12.21.04