"Revised and updated through the year 2000", [back cover]

The Caribbean under Spanish rule -- Northern Europeans come to stay -- The sugar empire -- The abolition of slavery and the challenges of freedom -- Poverty and progress in the Caribbean since 1914

This comprehensive volume takes the reader and student through more than 500 years of Caribbean history, beginning with Columbus's arrival in the Bahamas in 1492. The 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