Struggle and Survival in Colonial America

By: Sweet David G. & Nash Gary B.

Book Overview

Here are the fascinating stories of twenty-three little-known but remarkable inhabitants of the Spanish, English, and Portuguese colonies of the New World between the 16th and the 19th centuries.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520041100
• ISBN13: 9780520041103
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 398 Pages
• Weight: 0.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Classic Collection Inspires Many Others

Most edited books draw little attention, and often very good chapters end up simply buried. Not so with Sweet & Nash, a landmark that stakes out the research agenda of a generation of scholars. The main innovation is its focus on humble men and women, mostly ignored earlier but historical actors nonetheless. Some names are familiar, most are not, and including nonwhites was also novel. Documentation is sparse but sufficient, and will not deter general readers or students, though the hemispheric scope is awkward for regular US or Latin America surveys. The writing is sprightly, and contributors' caliber is uniformly high: it is stocked with brilliant young historians and mid-career experts at the peak of their powers (Jennings, Karasch, Klor de Alva, Nash, Salisbury, etc). Don't be misled by the title and assume this is on the 13 British colonies; it's not. Most essays are on Mesoamerica and Peru, deservedly so since these were the main colonial population centers. Inspiring? The first derived work, E. Burke ed., "Struggle & Survival in the Modern Middle East," notes the debt in the title. All the "Human Tradition" series from Scholarly Resources are directly modeled after S & N. Nice work, everyone.

Incredible Insights

I first read this book many years ago but continue to refer to it. The insights are still fresh and original; the writing is clear and crisp. A wonderful picture of real people in colonial times. I have turned several friends and students on to it--to the point that it has "walked" several times--which is why I had to buy a new copy just now!