Thread: Books about political history

Do you know any good books about the political history of Panama?

The history of Panama is very political in nature, largely due to the international nature of its initial colonization (everyone from the Spanish to the Scots,) use as source of raw material and labor for Europe, to its canal-building attemps from France and the U.S.
As always, check your local library; as much as I love the internet, it is not going to list the wonderful books published decades ago on the subject--the coolest book I've come across was a photographic history of the canal building project published in 1933 that I bought for my mother as a Christmas gift. Should you need to use the 'net, find your local library's site and execute a search there...

Next stop, Amazon:
Amazon.com: History of Panama - Amazon.com: Books

Cheers.

Maybe you can print out the list from Lalaguayaba and take it to your local library, and look for a few books on the subject.

Originally Posted by coolandhot

Maybe you can print out the list from Lalaguayaba and take it to your local library, and look for a few books on the subject.

Most of the newer books available on Amazon are not in your libraries, or are only available through request; the best way will be to actually go to the library and look for them!
And if that is too much, search your local library from the net--I do it all the time to request books that I want to read; you search, put in a request, and the library holds them for you.
If your local library does not have a web presence, then, of course, you actually have to use those research skills you developed as a kid pawing through microfiche and a card catalog!

Cheers.

This one will be the best, but it is a little bit expensive, as it was published quite recently.



The History of Panama (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations) (Hardcover) - Robert C. Harding

Try out Abebooks , you may get lucky with their promotion offers!

“Panama-Echoes From A Revolution” by Thomas James Bleming is a great book and must reading for everyone interested in the political history of Panama preceding the handover of the Panama Canal, death of dictator Omar Torrijos and take over by madman Manuel Noriega.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned MacCullough's The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914. Usually there's not even a need to order it. It's usually in bookstores here.