Since the sesquicentennial of European arrival in the Americas, there has been a florescence of very useful multivolume histories of Latin America. Many of these have adopted a long-range perspective, from the first human habitation of the continent to the present. Societal changes and transformations over time are covered with different emphases on details and points of view depending on the series, as well as on new data and research not easily accessible to readers elsewhere. They are usually oriented toward students and specialists. UNESCO’s projected nine-volume Historia general de América Latina is a welcome addition. Six hardbound, well-illustrated, and well-presented volumes have already been released. What distinguishes this series from others is that it has been conceived and executed by Latin American scholars and published in Spanish, with the inclusion of authors from the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Venezuelan scholar Germán Carrera, president of the Latin American...

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