JAMAICA: Portrait of an Island

by W. Adolphe Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 1955

Havana: The Portrait of a City appeared in 1953 and accomplished a well-filled-in travel tour; this follows the same pattern, a short history balanced by things of tourist interest today. From Columbus' first view to the short-time traveler's last one, the story of Jamaica is told leisurely and painstakingly, highlighting the physical, political and economic changes, the quirks of fortune as earthquakes, hurricanes and epidemics played their part, the influences of Spanish and English, of white and colored, of foreign enterprises. Buccaneers, slaves, treasure, piracy; the rise of sugar and the emergence of fabulous plantations -- and their fall; the abolition of slavery and the status as a crown colony; the development of the banana trade and the agricultural revival; labor troubles, self government trends and the new constitutional phase -- all this makes up the background. The newcomer is briefed on the cultural aspects, night life, sports and fishing, birds, eating and drinking, and shopping information, with plenty of comment -- about prices and quality of the resorts, hotels and lodgings. The curious and careful traveler will find more than enough to satisfy him about this ""microcosm of a continent"".

Pub Date: March 21, 1955

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Coward-McCann

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1955

Categories: NONFICTION