Rating: 
Summary: Excellent recommendation!
Review: I grew up in Mexico. For years, the best source on Mexican history was a 4-volume set published by the Colegio de México, the authoritative and ultra-elitist "Mexican Harvard." It was the best because nobody could read it (no one dared criticize this monstrosity)!
The Course of Mexican History is magnificent in contrast. Since I found the fifth edition this year, you can be sure that the authors don't neglect their incredible labor!
I believe the contents and lengths of chapters are well balanced. You probably have to live in the country to understand her history, and you might only get the gist of it.
A truly remarkable find!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent recommendation!
Review: I grew up in Mexico. For years, the best source on Mexican history was a 4-volume set published by the Colegio de México, the authoritative and ultra-elitist "Mexican Harvard." It was the best because nobody could read it (no one dared criticize this monstrosity)!
The Course of Mexican History is magnificent in contrast. Since I found the fifth edition this year, you can be sure that the authors don't neglect their incredible labor!
I believe the contents and lengths of chapters are well balanced. You probably have to live in the country to understand her history, and you might only get the gist of it.
A truly remarkable find!
Rating:
Summary: The 6th and 7th Editions are Great
Review: I used this book when i took
my Mexico course at the local
college. The historical literature
is well researched and documented.
This is the best guide if one wants
too know Mexican history. Any one
who says that this book is light, I
suggest you watch the news on the Televisa channel
station or Azteca Television. The literature will
not give you the details of why the economy has failed. everything is said positive, reserved, and with class.
literature is recommended. one has to see that mexico is just about the rich vs the poor.
the rich vs the yankees, and the white rich, mestizo rich vs the poor in todays society. it has been a conquered land, but through revolution and evolution the country has truimphed, work through its leaders. it was said in the news that the mexicans will not allow the "dollar" control the economy, mexican economy, but the attitude of nationalism is changing for the better in us mexico relations.. . . . .the issue of the european union, the united states of europe is bound to change things soon. . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Description
Review: If you notice the description of the book, please keep in mind that there is a small typo, it states "Topics covered include pre-Columbian cultures, such as the Incas and the Mayas"
Mexico has nothing to do with the Incas, that would be Peru. But beyond this small error, the book was a good read.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Textbook on the Subject Available
Review: Meyer and Sherman's classic work is the best starting point for understanding Mexico's rich history. It is easy to read with many illustrations, yet sophisticated and complete. The authors take us from Mexico's early Indian civilizations through the Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest. The Colonial period recieves somewhat brief treatment, but the revolution and early independence period do not. The Porfiriato and Revolution of 1910 are carefully examined,as is the post-1940 era. The authors treat their material with great reverance and are careful with their moral judgements of the many controversial actors.
Rating:
Summary: Good overview, a little light on details
Review: Overall, this was a good survey of Mexican history. The writing style was easy to read--not as dense as most history text books-- and was informative on more than just facts. This books covers pre-Colombian history, the Conquest, the fight for independence from Spain, and the evolution (and revolutions) that occured after independence. Also, this book goes into more than just historical fact by expressing ideas that spread through the country, cultural changes, and political trends. This is a great place to start learning about Mexico and, with the recommended reading lists at the end of each chapter, a good reference if a person wants more details on a specific subject covered in the book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Primer - too much colonial history
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to the history of Mexico, beginning with the Olmecs and continuing on to the present. Meyer does an excellent job covering not only historical events, but also grounding those events in the relevant cultural and societal settings. He really helps you to understand why Moctezuma was so complacent against Cortez, and to understand the motivations of the conquistadores, etc. Overall, his coverage of the Conquest is outstanding. I also feel that his coverage of modern events is informative, though it does much less to make you understand the modern Mexican cultural and societal dynamic than was the case for the era of the Conquest. Where this book bogs down a great deal is in the discussion of the period stretching from the beginning of the Colonial period up to the Revolution. There is little grounding for the discussion of the independence movement - one gets the impression that it sort of just happened... The same thing is true for the Revolution. Meyer hits his stride again once the Revolution gets going, but you have 200 pages in the middle that are nowhere near as good as the beginning and end. Still, this is an excellent introduction to Mexican history that I greatly enjoyed. I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about a thoroughly fascinating country.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Primer - too much colonial history
Review: This book is an excellent introduction to the history of Mexico, beginning with the Olmecs and continuing on to the present. Meyer does an excellent job covering not only historical events, but also grounding those events in the relevant cultural and societal settings. He really helps you to understand why Moctezuma was so complacent against Cortez, and to understand the motivations of the conquistadores, etc. Overall, his coverage of the Conquest is outstanding. I also feel that his coverage of modern events is informative, though it does much less to make you understand the modern Mexican cultural and societal dynamic than was the case for the era of the Conquest. Where this book bogs down a great deal is in the discussion of the period stretching from the beginning of the Colonial period up to the Revolution. There is little grounding for the discussion of the independence movement - one gets the impression that it sort of just happened... The same thing is true for the Revolution. Meyer hits his stride again once the Revolution gets going, but you have 200 pages in the middle that are nowhere near as good as the beginning and end. Still, this is an excellent introduction to Mexican history that I greatly enjoyed. I would recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about a thoroughly fascinating country.
Rating:
Summary: Best Mexican History Book in English
Review: This is a required purchase for Mexican History enthusiasts. The latest edition represents a significant improvement in coverage of "peripheral" regions. Mexican narrative histories in any language tend to privilege the central valley (Aztecs, Mexico City, etc.) I suspect that the improvement is due to the work of Susan Deeds, an expert in northern Mexico. Some may find the balance still tilts to the colonial period, but that is appropriate given the extraordinary formative power of these years for Mexican history and cultures. Nice visuals, tables and organization make this a superb value and a wonderful gift for the Mexican history enthusiast.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Single Volume History
Review: This is perhaps the best comprehensive history of Mexico written in English that exists. The authors have been painstaking in their research and provide many, many sources and citations but do not litter the work with a cumbersome academic citation apparatus. Best of all, the provide an annotated bibliography of works in Spanish for the Mexican scholar. The history of Mexico is astonishingly rich and complex, riven with conflict, religious strife, and fundamental disagreements about constitutionalism, liberalism (small L) and foreign entanglments. It is also a sad story with near constant violence and upheaval. The redeeming feature of the history, and what pulls the story along and saves it from the maudalin, is the stoic character of the mexican people. This is comprehensive work that deals in turn with society, culture, economics, religion and politics. Being a single volume work, it certainly gives brief treatments of many topics. As a prior reviewer notes, the colonial period is not treated as deeply as others. But then again, it was three hundered years of economic explotation and social subjugation, what is left to say? This is an excellent work for the Mexican enthusiast, for serious historians as well as for Americans of all persuasions.
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