Although this work is published from the USA, the author is Reader in Material Culture, Department of Anthropology at University College, London. As well as being based in the UK, he has worked in Mexico, Argentina, Peru and the Caribbean. He is the author of numerous books and articles on the anthropology of South America and the Caribbean.
It is worth reading the introduction to this book which gives an overview of the Caribbean islands and their history. The first peoples to arrive on these islands probably did so between 5000‐4000BCE using seagoing canoes to transport themselves. Once Christopher Columbus had discovered this tropical paradise, the history of the region became much darker as the natives were conquered and exploited by a succession of colonists including the Spanish, Dutch, French and the English. Slavery reared its ugly head and once that was abolished, tourism began to change the face of the islands forever. However, Caribbean culture is rich and varied and this book seeks to demonstrate that each group of islands have their own individual character and history.
The entries are arranged alphabetically and give full details of archaeological sites, flora and fauna, cultural history, languages and dialects, cultural pursuits and general history of individual islands, settlements and peoples. The work is illustrated in black and white, but many of the photographs have poor resolution and this raises the question of why, as in so many books, the quality of the illustrations often falls far behind the quality of the text. A few pages of colour photos printed on good quality photographic paper and inserted in the body of the book would have been far more satisfactory. The rise in cost should not have been that great.
However, the individual entries seem to be thoroughly researched and well written. I confess that I have little knowledge of this area, having been put off visiting by the vast number of cruise ships and the overblown hype in all the tourist brochures. But I feel, having read through some of the entries that I must be missing quite a lot of sights which the normal tourist parties never visit. If one gets away from the beaches, there seems to be a tremendous amount of history and culture lurking ready to be discovered by the discerning visitor. The author explains the various religions which are practised today – the principal being Voodoo, Santeria and Obeah. We can also learn about Rastafarianism which has its origins in Jamaica and the reggae music of Bob Marley and others. The origin of carnival is also explained. Short histories of all of the major islands are a useful introduction to the region and should lead to greater research by referring to the reading lists at the end of each entry. There is also a general bibliography at the end of the book which contains many references not mentioned after individual entries.
Although this work is primarily a reference tool to point readers in the direction of more intensive study, it will also engage the interest of anyone interested in the Caribbean region and may encourage them to research further and possibly to visit and draw their own conclusions about this fascinating region. It would certainly be a helpful addition to the history/geography/archaeology sections of a large reference or academic library.
