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Rating: 
Summary: The Truth at Last!
Review: Bruce Farcau's book as to Bolivia's disastrous war with Chile is very truthful in every aspect, historical data, and documentation. It also demonstrates of Bolivia's lack of a military character, that was again demonstarted in the 20th. century, in the Chaco War.
The historical details of Chinese migration in Peru is astonishing, and well written, and it also highlights the mercenary efforts of the Chilean officer Patricio Lynch, who utilised the Chinese (who were kept in slave-like conditions), to his benefit.
This is a must read for any Latin American historian, such as myself.Well done and written.
Rating:
Summary: The best book to date on the War of the Pacific
Review: Finally, a book about this conflict by an American author who combines modern scholarly methods with readable style! Bruce Farcau writes with knowledge, flair and compassion about his subject, sustaining remarkable objectivity throughout the book. Money, deceit, gallantry, violence, tactical and strategic brilliance and folly --- The War of the Pacific is a splendid microcosm of all the elements of military, economic, and political strategy, and Farcau does it justice. His analysis of the causes of the war is impeccable, without the cant found in many South American and European authors, or the dry didactic tone of academic dissertations. His humane and balanced treatment of the conduct of a war that includes the first combat on the high seas between ironclads, a major amphibious invasion, set-piece battles using modern weapons, and a protracted guerrilla war, is admirable. I recommend it most highly to any library, whether personal, academic or professional, that deals with South American issues. Farcau also discusses in some detail the relationship of U.S. and European internal politics and finance to this war, which may make it of interest to readers in other fields. Students of political science in a fractured world should read his discussion of the advantages --- and hindrances --- in war of an ordered democracy fighting against dictatorships and failing states. This is the only book (of several dozen) on the War of the Pacific over whose conclusions our Chilean and Peruvian officers have not quarreled. The price is somewhat daunting, but it is worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: how a democracy can beat two dictatorship
Review: One of the little heralded wars of South America is the War of the Pacific. This war pitted Chile against the combined Armies of Bolivia and Peru. Chile (the Prussia of South America) defeated both nations in the first year of war and took the nitrate lands of both Peru and Bolivia. Then Chile invaded Peru and captured the capital. Why is Bolivia landlocked? She lost her coastland to Chile in this war.
Farcau does a good job detailing how Chile was better organized in finance and the military to defeat her neighbors who had a larger population. Control of the seas by the modern Chile Navy also had a drastic effect on the Allies (Bolivia and Peru). As detailed in a previous review, the author does a great job of relating the history of this war in a scholarly and readable format. One thing missing in this book is maps, which would have lent the reader an understanding of the geography of the war. I cannot understand why maps were left out. The book is a good read about a long forgotten war.
Rating: 
Summary: Chilean aggression against Peru and Bolivia.
Review: One of the little heralded wars of South America is the War of the Pacific. This war pitted Chile against the combined Armies of Bolivia and Peru. Chile (the Prussia of South America) defeated both nations in the first year of war and took the nitrate lands of both Peru and Bolivia. Then Chile invaded Peru and captured the capital. Why is Bolivia land locked? She lost her coastland to Chile in this war.
Farcau does a good job detailing how Chile was organized better in finance and the military to defeat her neighbors who had a larger population. Control of the seas by the modern Chile Navy also had a drastic effect on the Allies (Bolivia and Peru). As detailed in a previous review, the author does a great job of relating the history of this war in a scholarly and readable format. One thing missing in this book is maps, which would have lent the reader an understanding of the geography of the war. I cannot understand why maps were left out. The book is a good read about a long forgotten war.
Rating:
Summary: how a democracy can beat two dictatorship
Review: this book shows how the little democracy of Chile was able to defeat two aggressive dictatorships, despite their secret pact of military alliance against Chile, and how the chilean people could, at great cost, destroy their bigger armies, and thus recover its northern provinces. Its remarkable see that a well organizaced society can defend itself from the aggression of bigger countries greedy for the opportunity to abuse of their neighbours.
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