Large Print Reviews - Spain, Portugal and Latin America on CD

Large Print Reviews

Spain, Portugal and Latin America on CD
Compiled by Richard Seltzer

Spain, Portugal and Latin America on CD
Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean (Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands, Dominica, St. Lucia, Granada, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Christopher and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, The Turks and Caicos Islands), Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, and Venezuela
Compiled by Richard Seltzer
B&R Samizdat Express - November 23, 2003
ISBN: 0-931968-76-3
Genre: History, Political Science

Reviewed by Rochelle Caviness - January 8, 2004

Please note: As of 1/11/2007, this CD now contains 126 books and 21 Country Studies.

Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the Carribean are often grouped together, despite being geographically disparate. The reason for this grouping is that these regions are interrelated on a number of levels, ranging from historical and social interactions to linguistic and religious similarities. For example, Latin America and the Caribbean Islands were primarily explored and colonized by Spain and Portugal. Consequently, Spanish and Portuguese are the predominate languages spoken in these regions, and Roman Catholicism is the predominate religion throughout.

Richard Seltzer's Spain, Portugal and Latin America on CD contains a treasure trove of books on these interrelated regions. The books are saved as plain text files, and when opened the text of these books are displayed on your computer screen. Once opened, they can be read visually or with computer screen reading software. A copy of ReadPlease, a windows-based screen reading program is also included in this collection. Details on how to install and use the program are included in the CD's readme file.

This CD collection serves as an incredible reference guide on these areas. It is perfect for students and readers of all ages with an interest in Spain, Portugal, or Latin America, as well as for those studying Spanish or Portuguese. This CD also includes the complete text of the 2003 CIA World Factbook and twenty-one country studies. Please note that the 2003 CIA World Factbook is the only book in this collection that is not presented in a plain text format. Due to the inclusion of pictures, a wealth of internet links, and graphs, this book is in html format, and it is best viewed when opened in an internet browser, rather than in a word processing program. (You do not need to be connected to the internet in order to view or use this book.)

The Country Studies cover:

Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Caribbean (includes information on Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands, Dominica, St. Lucia, Granada, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Christopher and Nevis, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, The Turks and Caicos Islands.)
Chile
Colombia
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Portugal
Spain
Uruguay
Venezuela

Each Country Study is an independent book that provides an in-depth overview of each country (or region in the case of the Caribbean) . The country studies were originally issued by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Each Country Study looks at the country's history, society, environment, economy, government, politics, and how the political and social make-up of each country affects the national security of the United States.

The country studies are presented as a single text file that can be opened with almost any word processing program or web browser. Some of the books also include appendices that consists of tables that are in html format. I was able to open these html tables with both the Microsoft Word and WordPerfect word processing programs, as well as opening them with a web browser.

This CD collection is further enhanced by the inclusion of a wealth of historical, literary, religious, and scientific works related to the various regions under discussion. This collection even includes the text of La Mejor Cocinera para Calleja. Recetas de Cocina, a wonderful cookbook, in Spanish, that has recipes covering everything from soups to tortillas.

Some of the intriguing works that you will find in this collection include:

Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes - in both Spanish and English
History of the Conquest of Peru by William Prescott
New Testament in Spanish (Reina Valera version)
Vanished Arcadia: Being Some Account of the Jesuits in Paraguay 1607 to 1767 by R.B. Cunninghame Graham
South American Geology by Charles Darwin
Lendas e Narrativas, by Alexandre Herculano - in Portuguese
Reize Naar Surinamen en Guiana by Captain John Gabreil Stedman. This book, which is in Dutch, was first published in 1799. The subtitle of the book is: "Narrative, of a five years expedition, against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam, in Guiana, on the Wild Coast of South America; from the year 1772, to 1777: elucidating the History of that Country, and describing its productions, viz. Quadrupedes, Birds, Fishes, Reptiles, Trees, Shrubs, Fruits & Roots; with an account of the Indians of Guiana & Negroes of Guinea: by Captain J. G. STEDMAN."

System Requirements

Windows PC
A web browser such as Explorer or Netscape, or a word processing program such as Word or WordPerfect.

Related Reviews:

Africa on CD, compiled by Richard Seltzer.
A vast collection, on one CD, of books and information on the geography, history, and cultures of the African nations of Algeria, Angola, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Zaire.
Your World on CD-ROM, compiled by Richard Seltzer.
Over 2200 documents from the United Nations, over 1200 from NATO, plus the 2001 CIA World Factbook.

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