Professor Leslie Bethell is Emeritus Professor of Latin American History in the University of London and an Emeritus Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford. He was Director of the University of London Institute of Latin American Studies from 1987 to 1992 and the University of Oxford Centre for Brazilian Studies from 1997 to 2007. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centro de Pesquisa e Documentacao de Historia Contemporanea do Brasil at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"An impressive enterprise ... an authoritative survey by leading scholars based on the latest research, complemented with highly valuable bibliographical essays... sets a high standard and stakes a further claim to the maturity of the field of Latin American history." - Hispanic American Historical Review

"The editor has continued to maintain a firm and judicious hand on the tiller of this tremendously ambitious historical project ... all the chapters are scholarly, solid and informative." - Bulletin of Latin American Research

"... monumental undertaking ... the finest complete history of the region ... confirms the consistency and dispassionate readability of the previous volume." - Financial Times

"Professor Bethell's skilful editing has erected a monument to scholarship ... His is a tremendous, awe-inspiring achievement." - Journal of Latin American Studies

"a major collaborative enterprise which will stand for many years as the outstanding work of historical reference on the region." - History

"This volume... continues a fine synthesis of Latin American history...serves as an excellent introduction to the region as well as an essential guide and reference for experienced scholars. As in earlier volumes, Leslie Bethell has excelled in giving the volumes remarkable coherence and comprehensiveness... The present volume provides the most comprehensive history of the last half century of the entire middle America region now available. It, along with the other volumes in the set, has already become a bible for graduate students...It is the essential reference and review work in Latin American history."