This addition to the LIFE World Library by Gary MacEoin and that magazine’s editorial staff introduces the general reading public to Colombia, Venezuela, and the Guianas. Nearly half the book is given over to photographs, the excellence of which is marred by several inaccurate captions. Thus, the twin spires shown on page 18 do not belong to Bogotá’s El Carman Church which has but a single spire. Specialists will be discomfited by some of the authors’ generalizations and over-simplifications, but as a book intended for popular consumption it has merits—the photographs, its readability, and low price ($2.95)—which outweigh its errors and weaknesses.
Seven of the ten chapters concentrate on the period after 1830, and most space is given to Colombia and Venezuela, with but little devoted to the Guianas. The bibliography reflects the textual emphasis on recent and contemporary events.
The end papers are useful, attractive political and relief maps.
