Goldsmith, Peter H.
"A brief bibliography of books in English, Spanish and Portuguese, relating to…" by Peter H. Goldsmith is an annotated bibliography written in the early 20th century. It gathers and critiques works about the republics commonly called Latin American to guide readers toward dependable sources and away from superficial or prejudiced accounts. Organized largely by country and subject, it combines listings with candid evaluations to help shape informed reading and better inter-American understanding.The opening of this guide sets out a clear preface: there is a strong demand for trustworthy direction in buying and reading, the compiler worked chiefly from New York libraries, and he deliberately includes both widely touted and little-known titles to distinguish merit. It argues that writers on foreign lands bear serious responsibility for international relations and defends sharp criticism when books are careless, biased, or ill written; it also notes spelling inconsistencies that arise from reproducing original titles. A large index by countries and themes follows, after which the annotations begin, each entry giving full citation details and a brief, pointed appraisal of value, bias, documentation, and style. Early items range from explorers’ narratives and colonial histories to scientific reports and modern surveys in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, praising rigorous scholarship and skewering sensational or unreliable works. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
These books are free to read. Each is in the public domain in the United States; check your own country's rules before you copy or share one.
