Customer Reviews (3)

One of a Kind
History of the people of Trinidad and Tobago is an impressive scholarly work.It assesses the political background and the historical struggles of a once colonized and subjugated populations of what is now know as the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It also addressed their aspirations. Not only had it enhanced the ability of their nationals to relate politically to the outside world , but is also allowed them to communicate intellectually.
It was a timely and a critical move on the author's part to adresses the social and political ills of colonialism and educate the nationals of the twin isle nations to embrace their national independence with pride, dignity, and political intergrity.

Invaluable - but flawed
A history of Trinidad and Tobago by its "father" is clearly invaluable as a primary document, and also as a lead to other primary documents he quotes.Readers should be aware, though, of the context in which it was written - hastily, without thorough editing, and obviously from a position of relative bias given his role in Trinidad's independence movement.Nonetheless, essential reading for anyone interested in learning about or researching Trinidad & Tobago.

Not exactly what I wanted, but still a great read!
Perhaps I was looking for a bit of a lighter work on the subject of the history of Trinidad and Tobago. This particular title by Eric Williams, the first Prime Minister of T&T is a bit more academic than what I was looking for. It does, however, deliver with quite a bit of interesting information on the roots and evolution of Trinidadian culture. From the days before Christopher Columbus claimed the island for Spain through the years of the island changing hands and struggling to survive through horrible mismanagement, right up to its struggle for independence from the crown, it appears that Mr. Williams doesn't miss a single detail. However, I don't have anything to compare it to with this being the first title I have read concerning the history of Trinidad and Tobago. If you are looking for light reading and general info concerning T&T, your best bet is probably a travel guide...but if you are looking for a comprehensive history of the country, this book is a great starting point! ... Read more

Product Description
A full decade before the horrific attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, the small Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago came under its own terrorist assault from a small fundamentalist Muslim group known as the Jamaat al Muslimeen.

For six days in 1990, the country, a former British colony that had achieved its independence in 1962, was virtually held for ransom as the terrorists launched an armed invasion of the sitting Parliament and the country’s lone television station.

Days of Wrath recounts the six days of terror wrought by a handful of Muslim terrorists. Told by a seasoned journalist who was one of the hostages in the Trinidad and Tobago Television building, this sensational account describes in vivid detail the scene that had the citizens of the nation wondering if they would now have to submit to another form of colonization.

Customer Reviews (2)

Enlightening
A fearless, historical and, given a vicissitude of the inexpressible horror, almost witty account of the 1990 coup in Trinidad.

Raoul Pantin is masterful and recreates the siege using a pen dipped in Trini ink and retold in such fashion, yet sparing no detail of what was, from the 1800s to the culmination of the terrorist act.

A must read!

Lyndon Baptiste
Author of 90 Days of Violence and oOh My Testicles!: A tale of entanglement

Great Hisory!
I enjoyed this book very much, it was a bit repetitive at times but still a good read, I finished it in one day! I was only five years old when this happened, and unfortunately, the history and the events surrounding the coup was never on our cirriculum in school (I attended school in Trinidad from elementary to high school. Anyone who wants a taste of Trinidadian history should buy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a history of the author’s home, Tobago, one of the Windward Islands and now part of the nation of Trinidad and Tobago. In the era of tobacco, indigo and sugar, its fertility was sought after by Courlanders (Latvians), the Dutch, the French and English. The cultivation of sugar became supreme and with it the necessity for slave labour to work the plantations. Beyond their own requirements there was a demand for slaves by the Spanish settlements and this the Courlanders and the Dutch were tempted to satisfy. But wars in Europe had the habit of over-spilling into the Caribbean and Tobago was not ignored. It constantly changed hands in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries and its fortunes in the times of peace fluctuated in tune with the price of sugar. This was an unequal task and Tobago’s economy by the mid 1800’s had collapsed. A union with Trinidad was the only salvation and this came about in 1899.

This is a simple story to remind the reader of the rise and fall of an island of which they may never have heard.

Customer Reviews (1)

La Magdalena
David Phillips has pushed all other histories of Tobago into second place. Nobody is more concerned about getting the facts correct.This is a book to enjoy and keep; and an ideal Christmas present for anybody connected to or interested in the Caribbean.
Robert Massey ... Read more

Product Description
The small Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago have been treated as a single political entity for less than one hundred years. A union of two separate colonies started by Great Britain and Spain, each island has a substantially different ethnic makeup reflecting distinct lines of development. Tobago was first claimed by the English in the 16th century. Overwhelmingly African, its few European influences are almost exclusively English and Protestant. Economically, it has been a plantation colony for most of its recorded history, but in recent years has included tourism as part of its economic structure. In contrast, Trinidad is an outstanding example of a racial and cultural kaleidoscope, with a considerably diversified economic base made up of agricultural, extractive, manufacturing, tourist, and financial industries. Annexed by the British 200 years ago, this one time Spanish colony was strongly influenced by French creole culture and has become further diversified by immigrants from British India, China, Italy, Lebanon, and the West Indies. Compiled by Michael Anthony, renowned Trinidadian writer, the "Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago" brings together in one volume complete and easy-to-find information on this small but fascinating Caribbean country. Its concise dictionary entries describe the important people, places, events, and institutions of the nation as well as its society, culture, and economy. The comprehensive bibliography provides scholars with an important resource for further information on the islands. Includes maps and a chronology. ... Read more

Product Description
This book chronicles the Tobago movement for autonomy from Trinidad from the time of the union of these two Caribbean islands from 1889 to 1980 when Tobago gained internal self-government. It argues that the problems Tobagonians complained about in the few years before internal self-government were longstanding and can be traced throughout the history of the union. The work puts the several calls for separation within the theoretical framework of identity. It posits that identity was the major buttress in the movement for autonomy. The manuscript's unique contribution is its "integrationist-separatist continuum" by which the author assesses the responses of British, colonial and local officials.The work adds to the historiography of the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago in particular, and is a useful case study of the issue of secession in the Caribbean. It serves as a comparison for the St Kitts - Nevis situation.The author uses primary sources from the Public Records Office and the Newspaper Library in London, the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago, the Tobago Archives, the Registry Section of the Central Administrative Services, Tobago, the Heritage Library in Trinidad as well as oral history sources. ... Read more

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A comprehensive description of the African language of Yoruba - the dominant language of the east Guinea coast - as it is used on the Island of Trinidad in the southern Caribbean. This work examines the linguistic heritage of the language as it was successively altered, retained and discarded. ... Read more

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First in Trinidad by Michael Anthony Entertaining and informative shorts stories about the first times things happened in Trinidad This publication marks the inauguration of Paria Classics, a series of re-publications of some of the most outstanding historical works about Trinidad and Tobago. In this book, Dr. MIchael Anthony explores two centuries of ¿first times¿ in trinidad and Tobago: from the first settlers, to the first postal, electricity, and telephone service, to the first Olympic gold medal winner. His informative and entertaining writing style brings history to life. 6¿ x 9¿, 184 pages, softcover Illustrated in black & white ISBN 976-8054-51-4 US$ 15.00 Dr. Michael Anthony received his honorary doctorate from the University of the West Indies in 2003. ... Read more

Product Description
At the centre of this extraordinary historical narrative are two linked themes: the grinding down of the aborigines during the long rivalries of the quest for El Dorado, the mythical kingdom of gold; and, two hundred years later, the man-made horror of the new slave colony. Naipaul shows how the alchemic delusion of El Dorado drew the small island of Trinidad into the vortex of world events, making it the object of Spanish and English colonial designs and a Mecca for treasure-seekers, slave-traders, and revolutionaries. And through an accumulation of casual, awful detail, he takes us as close as we can get to day-to-day life in the Caribbean slave plantations - at the time thought to be more brutal than their American equivalents. In this brilliantly researched book, living characters large and small are rescued from the records and set in a larger, guiding narrative - about the New World, empire, African slavery, revolution - which is never less than gripping. 'History as literature, meticulously researched and masterfully written' - "New York Times Book Review". 'A formidable achievement...No historian has attempted to weave together in so subtle a manner the threads of the most complex and turbulent period of Caribbean history' - "Times Literary Supplement".'Brilliant...Startling' - "New Statesman". 'A remarkable book...Intelligent, humane, brilliantly written' - "Book World". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Bloody, Tragic, Fascinating Slice of Colonial History
I think it's fair to say V.S. Naipaul is one of the finer writers of our time.Here his compressed, simple sentence structure, matched with fascinating details and copious research, works nearly as well for history as it does for his works of fiction.

Turning his attention to his homeland, Trinidad, Naipaul reveals a lost history of Spanish, French and English colonialism, all fueled by the frantic, bloody search for El Dorado.

Naipaul's three-part structure makes sense and is filled with remarkable anecdotes of greed, folly, slavery, barbarity, and one or two glimpses of decency and humanity.

I had trouble putting this one down.

How does a large island get so lost?
The Spanish were sure that there was a "Third Marquisate" out there somewhere. The first two Marquisates were Mexico and Peru, two fabulously wealthy ancient Native American civilizations looted and conquered by Spain. Spain was sure that another one- El Dorado- was out there begging to be plundered, just beyond what is now Columbia and Venezuela. Not wanting to miss out on yet another one, England gets into the act. The island of Trinidad is the perfect place from which to launch expeditions into the South American interior looking for El Dorado. Thousands of men march into the Amazon jungle, never to be heard from again. Yet rumors persist...
Eventually everyone tires of looking for El Dorado, and Trinidad is forgotten. Spanish colonists on Trinidad might as well be shipwrecked, as decades go by without a visit from a Spanish ship. Three Spanish nobles are given the Governorship, but none want it. Spanish people are encouraged to migrate to Trinidad, but few go. Spain invites French landowners from elsewhere in the Caribbean (displaced by the French Revolution) to settle in Trinidad, and some come to set up plantations on the island.
In 1797 the British send eighteen ships to take Trinidad from Spain. Outnumbered, the Spanish capitulate with barely a fight. The Spanish on the island aren't that unhappy about the British takeover anyway. Spain has ignored Trinidad, and at least the British aren't the revolutionary French.
Now there are settlers from three European countries trying to live together in Trinidad- the Spanish, the French planters, and the English. Which countries laws to follow? Some traditions are kept by French and Spanish planters in Trinidad, notably cruelty to slaves. These practices offend some British. Three revolutions make folks nervous in Trinidad- The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and finally the Negro slave revolt in Haiti. The British try to turn all the revolutionary fervor to their own advantage, hoping for a Fourth Revolution in which South America throws off Spain. They scheme with a Venezuelan named Miranda.
All this makes for a fascinating, well told story by a Nobel-prize winning novelist. I've always found Caribbean history fascinating, as Europe squabbles over these beautiful islands. You don't have to know Caribbean history to enjoy the sun on a lovely beach, but knowing some makes your island time even more enjoyable.

Naipaul's history of "nowhere"
THis is a great book, a history of the founding of a place - where Naipaul was born - that virtually no one cares about.As such, there is nihilism at the very core of the book, which Naipaul emphasizes by beginning with a tribe (just a name) whose only existing reference was that it was annihilated during the colonization.

And yet, this book is brilliantly written, full of drama of torture and interminable trials, great and bitter ironies that lead to what Trinidad became (or didn't), all of it adding up to a sense of the passage of human life and striving.I loved this book:it is a fascinating rumination by a highly talented writer, a dark essay on futility and non-history.

It may seem obscure, but then, so is much of the Third WOrld's history.That is one of Naipaul's points.He is a true master. ... Read more

Product Description
Focusing on the early 19th century, when British occupants inflicted a reign of terror on the island's black population, V.S. Naipaul's recreation of the history of Trinidad exposes the barbaric cruelties of slavery and torture and their consequences on all strata of society - from the idealist to the reactionary - in an account which penetrates aspects of a complex society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Powerful, disturbing and unforgettable
This is the historical counterpart to Naipaul's "A Way in the World", even though it was written more than two decades earlier - these books should ideally be read back-to-back. It provides a history of Trinidad from the original discovery by the Spaniards until the early nineteenth century. The canvas covered is vast - the early Spanish attempts at colonisation, Raleigh's poorly-organised and squalid search for an El Dorado on the Orinoco, the arrival of French refugees escaping from the slave-uprisings on Haiti and the establishment of British control, with a leading but hardly-creditable role being played by Sir Thomas Picton, later a hero of the Peninsula and Waterloo, and the use of the island as a springboard for fomenting revolution in Latin America. It is from beginning to end a ghastly story, dominated by greed, cowardice and cruelty. There is hardly a single character who emerges with credit and at times the reader is all but overwhelmed by the catalogue of mean-minded exploitation, atrocities and treachery. As always in his non-fiction writing, Naipaul uses a novelist's eye to bring colour and life to the narrative - adding not just to the immediacy but also to the horror of much of the material. This work goes beyond historical narrative however and presents simultaneously an extended meditation on the nature of power at its most basic level. It is a terrible and disturbing work - but a great one. ... Read more

Product Description
The author was an inhabitant of Trinidad from about 1820 to his death in 1840. This work includes a geographical description, a catalogue of the flora and fauna and a political history up to 1837 in annual form. ... Read more

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This is the story of culture and hybrids. Being scattered throught the country, the Chinese were sexually and geographically integrated into the national community and thus comfortably lent their talents to the development of Trinidad and Tobago in a more all-embracing way than almost anyone or anywhere else. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I am a descendant of the Dragon
Kim Johnson's research is impressively personal, pictorially wide ranging and incisive. The "look" of the book is immediately arresting and appropriate, with the very first page underlining the iconic dragon image and history. I bought this book to find out anything about my grandfather's life of which I had known next to nothing - not his Chinese name, his work, and not even his looks until four years ago when I saw his photograph for the first time. Thank you Kim Johnson for explaining and illustrating the regality of my heritage that I had ignored for almost all my life. ... Read more

Product Description
This work covers the period of rapid expansion after the British conquest in 1797 until the colony was faced with dislocations coinciding with the emancipation of the slaves. ... Read more

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This book situates its contemplation of the nineteenth-century Trinidadian landscape in the context of an emerging sub-field of Caribbean postcolonial studies, by connecting the visual representation and indexing of colonial landscapes and people with the making of colonial power. Emphasis is placed on three pivotal image catalogues which span the pre and post emancipation periods and which connect the projects of British slavery and indentureship. The book unearths sketches, paintings, lithographs and engravings and analyzes them as central to the iconic framing and disciplining of colonized subjects, tropical nature and the plantation landscape. Focusing on the image works of British travellers Richard Bridgens and Charles Kingsley and Creole artist, Michel Jean Cazabon, the chapters consider how an aesthetic logic was not only illustrative but constitutive of racialized and gendered scripts of colonial landscapes, nature and identity. While these various strands of aesthetic reasoning reveal a seemingly coherent operation of colonial power, they also register the very ambiguity of these disciplinary projects in moments of uncertainty regarding the amelioration of African slavery, the emancipation of slavery, and the highly contested project of Indian indentureship in the Caribbean. The book reflects the dynamic instability of colonial inventive projects manifest in a period of experimental and troubled British rule that potentially frustrates any attempt to recover the truth of Caribbean colonial reality. ... Read more

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This study of the slave population of Trinidad is based on the Trinidadian slave registrations of 1813, 1815, and 1816, when the Registrar of Slaves recorded information on 17,087 plantation slaves.The principal goal of the study is to draw plausible upper and lower bounds on the levels of plantation slave mortality and fertility in Trinidad in the early nineteenth century. ... Read more

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When slavery ended in Trinidad in 1834 it marked the beginning of a turbulent period in the island's history. Donald Wood looks at the people and the land at the end of slavery and then describes the impact of the immigrants who came to stem the sudden labor shortage and the resulting tensions this produced. ... Read more

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"Historic Landmarks of Port of Spain" sheds light on the history of one of the most unique cities of the West Indies. Discussion of more than 70 historic sites gives a glimpse of the colourful past and more recent history not only of Port of Spain but of Trinidad & Tobago as a whole.Some of the landmarks discussed are: Columbus Square, named after the Discoverer who encountered Trinidad on his third voyage; Eric Williams Financial Complex, the Eric Williams who led Trinidad and Tobago to Independence in 1962; Fort San Andres which evokes the memory of Trinidad's French background; Railway Headquarters - although there is no longer a railway in Trinidad today; Trinity Cathedral brings to light strong currents of religious conflict in the past; and, Brian Lara Promenade for the legendary cricketer who holds the world record for the highest Test runs - a record he has broken twice. Port-of-Spain knows how to honour its sporting heroes. ... Read more