This succinct book is an excellent primer for anyone working on the independence period in Latin America. It is based on extensive archival research, has exceptional balance and breadth, and it is highly recommended. The author has successfully distilled the essence of a vast historiography generated by a slew of academicians from both sides of the Atlantic . By locating Spain at the centre of her story, Rebecca Earle provides that overarching perspective missing from so many biographies of independence leaders and from the histories of the independence movement of individual Latin American Countries . It is the imperial focus that gives coherence to this work and for which scholars will be indebted to Earle for its lucid framing of the larger issues of empire. In the final analysis, independence only makes sense if the story of the other side is also told. Colonial Latin American Historical Review , Vol. 9, No.

2, Spring.