Product Description
History of Jamaica has been revised to bring the account of the island's history up to date. Many maps and photographs have also been added.This edition of the authoritative History of Jamaica covers the whole of the history of the island from the arrival of the Arawaks a thousand years ago until the present day. That thousand year period has also seen the arrival of the Spaniards and the extermination of the Amerindians, the coming of the British and the introduction of slavery, the fight for freedom and the achievement of Independence. This story, with its many facets: the Buccaneers, the Maroons, the National Heroes and others, is told by the Government Archivist in a flowing narrative which is backed by a knowledge based on the closest contact with original documants. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Excellent
The book arrived quickly and in the condition promised.Very happy with the seller.

Very disappointed
Not what I expected. The pages look old and yellowed and not very interesting. I ordered a hard cover book and received, instead, a soft cover book with a bent cover and pages. For this I paid $150.00 plus shipping.

Quoted from the book's rear cover
This new edition of the authoritative HISTORY OF JAMAICA covers the whole of the history of the island from the arrival of the Arawaks a thousand years ago until the present day.That thousand year period has also seen the arrival of the spaniards and the extermination of the Amerindians, the coming of the British and the introduction of slavery, the fight for freedom and the achievement of independence.This story, with its many facets:the Buccaneers, the Maroons, the National Heroes and others, is told by the Government Archivist in a flowing narrative which is backed by a knowledge based on the closest contact with original documents.

A history of the island the the people.
Out of many, one people. This is a nice little book about the history of the island and its people.The history of the island begins with its first Indian population.The history concludes with the election of Prime Minister Edward Seaga.The history includes the brief Spanish period, the occupation by the British, the introduction of slavery and sugar during the 1600s and the 1700s, the British Crown Colony, and independence from 1962 to 1980.The history includes Jamaica's interaction with the rest of the world, and Jamaica's contribution to the West.
For those visiting Jamaica on a beach vacation, this is a nice little read.Although short, it is full of good information about this country.This book is also full of nice historical pictures.I picked this book up in a second hand store in Jamaica, so it might be difficult to obtain a copy in Jamaica, so use Amazon to procure a copy. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Sheer Bliss
This book is truly magnificent.The quality of writing is simply sublime.Allow me to provide an extract:"To this, reply was made that, while deploring such acts of lawless violence, the house could not afford compensation to all who had suffered during the late distrubances, and it would be an act of injustice to indemnify a few...When this nonsense was penned, every man in Jamaica knew that proceedings had been taken against the men who destroyed the chapels at Ocho Rios and Orcabessa..."What does historical accuracy matter?This is a literary masterpiece.It's literary complexity is matched only by Joyce's Ulysses.Highly recommended to all!Ceaseless entertainment, sheer bliss!

inaccurate
JUST FROM THE TITLE OF THE BOOK, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT MR GARDNER IS MISINFORMED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MY COUNTRY.JAMAICA WAS NOT DISCOVERED BY CHRISTOPHER, ARAWAK INDIANS WERE ALREADY LIVING THERE.I DON'T KNOW, BUT TO DISCOVER SOMETHING MEANS, IT WASN'T ALREADY FOUNDED.WHAT DO YOU THINK? ... Read more

Product Description
The Island of One People: An Account of the History of the Jews of Jamaica redresses the Jewish contribution to the development of Jamaican modern society in an engaging exploration of the Jewish-Jamaican community. From the early merchants of Kingston to the development and modernization of the Kingston Harbour, the construction of numerous Housing Developments, and landmark buildings such as the Ward Theatre; from the development of companies such as the Lascelles deMercado conglomerate with interests in sugar, rum, insurance, motor car agencies and airport and shipping services, to the establishment of the renowned Gleaner newspaper, arguably the oldest newspaper in the western hemisphere; from representing Jamaica internationally to the now iconic work of Belisario; the contribution of the Jewish community in nation building in Jamaica is unquestionable.Copiously illustrated, the result is a vibrant, engaging story of not just Jewish, but Jamaican history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

ansoma3
This was a gift from my grandmother. There have been several books over the years that have showed the history of the Jamaican Jews. This is the first one that I have read beyond my family history.I couldn't put it down.It talks about how the Spanish Jews first came to settle in Jamaica. It is very well written and easy to follow. One of the best gifts I've ever received! ... Read more

Product Description
Jamaica is a small country in the Caribbean, 146 miles wide and populated by fewer than three million people. Nevertheless, it has exerted a more powerful hold on international popular music than any nation besides England and America. From Prince Buster to Burning Spear, Lee "Scratch" Perry to Yellowman, Bob Marley to Shabba Ranks, reggae music is one of the most dynamic and powerful musical forms of the twentieth century. And, as Lloyd Bradley shows in his deft, definitive, and always entertaining book, it is and always has been the people's music. Born in the sound systems of the Kingston slums, reggae was the first music poor Jamaicans could call their own, and as it spread throughout the world, it always remained fluid, challenging, and distinctly Jamaican. Based on six years of research -- original interviews with most of reggae's key producers, musicians, and international players -- and a lifelong enthusiasm for one of the most remarkable of the world's musics, This Is Reggae Music is the definitive history of reggae. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

very educating book
If you are a reggae fan, this is a must read. I was unaware of the re-titling of the book, but that said, it is still a great book. As a white guitar player who joined a roots type reggae band a few years ago, (sadly the band is no more) I thought I would educate myself about the music and history. I did myself right with this book. I found I knew more about the music and culture than many of my "Rasta" friends after reading this. I loved the 50's and 60's chapters regarding Buster, Tubby, and the Skatalites with the great Ernest Ranglin. The DJ culture. Thoroughly enjoyed all the 70's stuff too; hearing about Scratch Perry and the stories of the Black Ark was gold. And the British side with Steel Pulse, and all the influence of Jamaica on the Brit rock scene, etc, etc. The Marley info was good as well, as mostly 1 chapter. No disrespect to Bob, but it is certainly true that Jamaica's music and culture was very rich before him. Nice stories of the early days of the Wailers too. My reggae world is definitely more complete after reading this. Buy the book!

this is reggae music paperback
A wonderful book which not only traces the history of reggae but delves into the fascinating and unique Jamaican culture as well, a big thumbs up!

Não é genial, mas vale ler
Terrível a mudança de capa e de título. Como "Bass Culure" tem o mesmo texto comprei essa versão americana mesmo. O livro é escrito em inglês britânico informal, o que torna bem difícil de ler.

Não se trata de um livro sobre reggae apenas, mas sobre a "história social da música jamaicana". Não é um livro didático que te ensina o que ouvir, quem fez, etc... Vc vai aproveitar bem mais se conhece Reggae bem e está querendo se aprofundar na "cultura". Acho que a parte sobre a música em si não é tão boa quanto o lado do povo jamaicano, etc...

Valeu a pena ler, mas não era o que estava procurando.

A Reggae Masterpiece
This book's a true masterpiece. It's a solid history balancing politics, culture, and musical analysis--all written with engaging style. Great stuff!

Good thoro read
Great read about the history of reggae music. I learned a lot and ended up with a lot more reggae albums after reading some really cool stuff. However...his viewpoint on Marleys later Island work is sort of like reading a Yankees book written by a Red Sox fan....the guy seems to have some issues....however he does it justice by allowing Danny Simms to have the final say on Bob's behalf.

If you like Reggae and want to learn more about the culture and history other than Bob Marley then buy it. ... Read more

Product Description

"A spirited and absorbing history of emancipation, oppression, and rebellion in the British empire." -- C. Vann Woodward.

"Holt greatly extends and deepens our understanding of the emancipation experience when, for just over a century, the people of Jamaica struggled to achieve their own vision of freedom and autonomy against powerful conservative forces." -- David Barry Gaspar.

Customer Reviews (2)

Black, Jamaican politics are not over...
An excellent book, well researched in most parts and drawing on memory of information gleaned broadly but from lost sources for the rest (which the author admits in his introductory remarks), presenting a black history of a dark era of human history.

Big Book, Big Implications
Holt studies Jamaica,from the emanicpation of the slaves to the labor problems faced by ex-slaves in the 1930s.But the narrow focus is misleading - really Holt writes about "the problem of freedom:"the tast of socializing ex-slaves into becoming productive laborers - theproblem of convincing freedpeople that it's in their best interest to laborfor tiny wages, for the profit of the wealthy. Another major focus is theinherent contradictions of classical liberalism - economic freedom does andalways has required brutal and blatent inequalities in the political andsocial spheres.

Certainly not everyone will agree with Holt, but hisargumentation and analysis are impeccable. If you believe thatself-determination and free enterprise are practically the same thing - orif you think that capitalism and democracy are one and the same - you mustread Holt's book. ... Read more

Product Description
Edward Long's three-volume work marks a major turning point in the historiography of Jamaica, as the first attempt at a comprehensive description of the colony, its history, government, people, economy and geography. The son of a prominent Jamaican plantation owner, Long (1734-1813) spent twelve years running his father's property, an experience which permeates his vision of the island's past, present and future. Long defends slavery as 'inevitably necessary' in Jamaica, suggesting the institution to be implicit in the 'possession of British freedom'. The book includes accounts of the Spanish colonial period in Jamaica, the British colonial government, slavery and the slave rebellions, the economy and infra-structure of the island, and its climate and natural history. This important 1774 book provides fascinating insights into eighteenth-century colonial Jamaica and the ideology of its commercial and administrative elite. ... Read more

Product Description
One of the most innovative companies to have achieved world acclaim in the last half of the twentieth century, the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica blends the lore, music and dance traditions of Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, and the American South with both Modern and European classical ballet forms. This richly illustrated history, as sequel to the earlier Dance Jamaica - Cultural Definition and Artistic Discovery, celebrates the Company's first forty-six years. This is the story of how a group of unpaid dancers, musicians, choreographers, designers and technicians became one of the most influential cultural voices of the Third World. The work describes the company's continuing efforts through the dedication, commitment and sustained application of its members to forge an organic vocabulary, technique and style of Caribbean dance art against the background of the wider society's history of severance, suffering and survival. The author shows how the Company achieved its ambition to secure for the Jamaican people a way of articulating their identity and of building faith in a historical reality denied by three centuries of colonial subjugation. The Tours of the internationally acclaimed National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica has taken them to all parts of the world - from London's Sadler's Wells to Mexico City's Palacio de Bellas Artes, from the Theatre Royal in Sydney, to the Palace of Culture in Kiev. The Company has also performed at numerous venues throughout the United States, including at the Gusman Theatre in Miami, the New Orleans Theatre of Music and Performing Arts, the New York City Center Theatre. ... Read more

Product Description
It marked the first occasion that an extended historical narrative had been undertaken by an author with a prolonged association with the island. More than just a social and political history, Long's trilogy offers readers detailed practical advice for life on the island, covering everything from the start-up requirements for a plantation to the tastiest fish. Of particular interest to a contemporary audience is the extensive information about slavery, from the cost of owning a slave to rules governing slaves and slave owners. This new edition, with an introduction by Howard Johnson, makes Long's classic work available once again. ... Read more

Product Description
A beautifully illustrated book on the natural, political and social history of Jamaica. Beginning with the discovery by Columbus and following it's evolution through nearly 500 years. Hundreds of photographs. Endpaper maps. ... Read more

Product Description
Based on historical research and more than thirty years of anthropological fieldwork, this wide-ranging study underlines the importance of Caribbean cultures for anthropology, which has generally marginalized Europe's oldest colonial sphere.

Located at the gateway to the New World in the plantation heartlands of the Americas, the settlement of Martha Brae, Jamaica, has witnessed the unfolding of two distinct, yet interrelated histories. Exploring the significance of Martha Brae as a European-Caribbean slaving port in the eighteenth century, Jean Besson simultaneously uncovers the neglected tale of Martha Brae's gradual appropriation by ex-slaves and its transformation into an African-Caribbean free village, bringing the story right up into the present day.

Central to this transformation is the system of "family land", which interrelates with kinship, community, economy, cosmology, gender, oral tradition, and state law. Besson shows that this customary land tenure is not a passive survival from either Africa or Europe, as conventional theories contend, but a dynamic creole institution created by Caribbean people in response to European-American land monopoly and cultural dominance. This perspective advances debates on African-American cultural history and the anthropological study of culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Reggae Heritage is a Great Buy, Valuable Information!
"Reggae Heritage" is the 21st Century Encyclopedia of Jamaica's Music History and more.
Author, Lou Gooden, takes you step by step, going into such explicit details, from his personal experience and knowledge of the industry.
"Reggae Heritage" is captivating, enlightening and even sometimes surprising, with valuable information on the biography of the artists and the legend of Reggae music.
As a direct result of reading "Reggae Heritage" and the knowledge attained, I most certainly recommend this book as a great buy.

Reggae Heritage is a "Must Have"
Reggae Heritage is a masterpiece that is packed with colorful history, factual information and a sense of humor, a book that has a value beyond words.It's controversial content that is peppered throughout the book gives readers a grounded and authentic bird's eye view of what Lou Gooden experienced first hand.I enjoyed reading Reggae Heritage, it provided many things that I did not know and found quite fascinating. I consider it to be an excellent learning tool and a "must have" ... Read more

Product Description
24th edition - fully revised ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Jamaica," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Jamaica in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Jamaica when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Jamaica, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Jamaica," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Jamaica in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Jamaica when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Jamaica, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

Product Description
This title presents a comprehensive document on the prehistory of Jamaica, and a resource base for future research.Much of Jamaican prehistoric research - like that in the rest of the Caribbean basin - has been guided by at least a subconscious attempt to allow prehistoric native peoples to find their places within the charts established by Irving Rouse, who guided Caribbean research for much of the last half-century. The pre-Columbian peoples of Jamaica, and not merely their material culture, are beginning to take form, revealing their lifestyles and rituals and taking their rightful place among the cultures of the New World.Pre-Columbian Jamaica represents the first substantial attempt to summarize the prehistoric evidence from the island in a single published account since J. E. Duerden's invaluable 1897 article on the subject, which is also reprinted within this volume. The book is designed to provide general commentary that can stand alone and be read as a continuous narrative; and an additional and valuable resource is the accompanying CD-ROM that furnishes a great range of further illustrations, data, calculations, measurements, and comparisons.This data is curated at the Archaeology Laboratory at the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, in Kingston, and was presented to the university by Dr. James Lee in 2000. His gift, and the comprehensive study that followed, provide the impetus for both the book and the CD-ROM. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An absolute "must-have" for serious students and scholars of early Jamaican archaeology
Written by P. Allsworth-Jones, a research fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield England, Pre-Columbian Jamaica is extensive attempt to collect aggregate evidence and research about prehistoric Jamaica into a single volume. Though Pre-Columbian Jamaica offers ample commentary on this evidence and can be read as a narrative, its true value lies in its accompanying CD-ROM brimming with illustrations, data, calculations, measurements, and comparisons - more information than can be published in printed form at a reasonable price. (The CD-ROM requires Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Access 2002 or higher, and 100 MB free space to use). In-depth information on the CD-ROM concerning two hundred and seventy-one prehistoric sites in Jamaica makes Pre-Columbian Jamaica an absolute "must-have" for serious students and scholars of early Jamaican archaeology, and highly recommended for college and graduate school libraries as well.
... Read more

Product Description
Is a family system that permits freedom to enter, dissolve, and re-enter sexual unions, that tolerates high illegitimacy rates, and allows a large proportion of households to be headed by women, viable, natural and healthy? This is an appropriate question to ask of many modern industrial societies in the 1980s. Yet a system with just those factors has been in place in the West Indies for 150 years. In this book, Raymond T. Smith explores the extensive family and kinship ties of West Indians in Jamaica and Guyana, and in so doing dispels many of the myths that exist about West Indian family life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Read it, if you can find it
Smith defines three types of family structure in the West Indies (adapted from Elizabeth Bott, *Family and Social Network*): 1) joint conjugal role pattern, 2) segregated conjugal role pattern, and 3) disassociated conjugal role pattern (pgs. 141-148). The meaning of these terms is not immediately discernable, so I will explain them a little. The first one, "joint conjugal role pattern" is basically the "nuclear family": husband, wife and child(ren). The "joint" part of the term denotes that the duties of both husband and wife (child rearing, cooking, cleaning) are shared. This family structure is most common in the modern world, especially in the United States. Simple enough. The second type of family form, "segregated conjugal role pattern", is what many would consider the traditional roles of husband and wife, where "men should provide support and general protection while women engage in child rearing and domestic work" (146). That is also simple enough. The third pattern, "disassociated conjugal role pattern", is the key to understanding West Indian family structure, according to Smith. This type of family is most fully embodied in what is frequently called a "visiting union" - where the father lives in a different household than his children and their mother. He provides financial support to them and visits every once in a while. In American culture, such a father might be thought of as "not there", i.e. not providing for the emotional, moral and spiritual guidance of his children, even if he does provide for them financially. But to apply this set of standards to the West Indian situation, per Smith, is essentially ethnocentric. The premise of his book (from what I can understand) is to show that "visiting unions", which may appear to give rise to matrifocal and female-headed households, are in fact not so. Looking at the family in terms of household gives us this skewed perception of West Indian family structure, wherein a family does have to live in the same house, or even the same town. Family members can live in different households, and emotional attachments and beliefs about what is right and wrong are different than in the U.S. or elsewhere. Illegitimacy becomes a relative term, lacking much of the moral stigma associated with it in the U.S. As the title of his book suggests, Smith sees the historic relationship between the elite, slave-owning planter class and their lower-class slaves and free people of colour (particularly the phenomenon of a 'kep' miss' ['kept mistress', meaning a slave women kept as the mistress of a slave owner]) as the key to understanding modern Jamaican and Guyanese kinship patterns. ... Read more

Product Description
The author analyzes the importance of Queen Nanny fromcultural, military, historical, and religious point of view. This bookmarks an attempt to integrate a key figure of New World history intoher rightful place as the leader of a critical resistance movement inJamaica in the first part of the 18th century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The original Wonder Woman from Paradise Island
This is an exceptional book on the history of Queen Nanny.This book provides a great account of Queen Nanny in Jamaica from the perspective of the Maroons, Jamaicans, and British. There are plenty of historical references sprinkled throughout the literature so that the reader can do their own research. I have a sense that she was the original "Wonder Woman" as she lived on a true "Paradise Island" and could not just stop bullets but also "catch" them.The book goes into detail about the metaphysical importance of an Obeah woman and how her power kept the strong African spirit alive within the Jamaican Maroons. It is empowering to read how such few people were able to defeat the British in so many battles. The book is brief but packed with informative information on this little known person. As a man descended from the Akan, I felt proud how the African rituals were continued in Jamaica for those that escaped human bondage.This is a great read for both men and women.

The Mother of Us All. A History of Queen Nanny
This is a small book, 119 pages, that cuts a big swath. It is about an interesting period and a lively woman of the early 18th Century, someone who never made it into any of my history books. I certainly know about her now. Gottlieb pulls together threads from many sources into one rich fabric. This is a progressive book about colonialism, racism, feminism, about military srategy, about the West-African-rooted religious traditions and the use of supernatural powers that made their way into the Maroon Culture. Gottlieb obviously has great respect for her subject -- this remarkable woman, Nanny, part historical figure, part legend -- who represents a courageous struggle against oppression. The book is well-researched, illustrated, and spirited reading. Some of the historical documents can be bypassed if not interested. One is impressed with its relevance to the very same "isms" that continue to torment us in the 21st century. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: [Jamaica] The ConsistoryPublication date: 1884Subjects: First Reformed Dutch Church (New York, N.Y.)Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more