Reviews

The first of these works is a guidebook‘and an excellent one at that. Baker, who has traveled extensively in Cuba and written other guidebooks and magazine articles, gives a general introduction to his subject, with tips on getting to Cuba, hotels, money, and all the usual things one expects from a guide. But his book has a special twist for Americans because of the embargo. After introductory material on history, flora and fauna, the Helms-Burton bill, Castro, and many, many other topics, the book is organized by region, with maps, hotels, tips on getting there, etc. This excellent work is one of the most thorough guidebooks this reviewer has ever seen. Highly recommended. The author of two other works on Latin America, Schwartz has written not a guidebook but a well-researched description of tourism in Cuba, mainly from the Twenties to the Sixties. The emphasis is on American tourists, the most numerous until Castro, and the history is chronological, showing how World Wars I and II affected Cuban industry. Schwartz describes the Mafia influence and the state of tourism since Castro, and she also considers how tourism affects a country, any country, which makes interesting reading. An excellent history that should have broad appeal, this is scholarly but not dull.‘George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, PA