Revolution on the Pampas. A Social History of Argentine Wheat, 1860-1910

Abstract

unexpectedly heavy attention. That the Colorado Delta and its exploitation by irrigation agriculture dominate the discussion of the modern economy is perhapsjustified by the importance of the region in the Mexican economy. Consideration of only the Mexican side of the delta might be justified from the standpoint of political economy, but it makes impossible a clear exposition of the extraordinary topography and attendant water-management problems. The many maps and tables, some borrowed directly but most of them assembled by the author, give the work the aspect of an official publication or handbook. A sound geographic understanding, however, has guided the selection of material for inclusion, even if the lack of intimate familiarity with the region has allowed errors to creep in. As a genre the explorational Ldnderkunde has survived among German geographers. It must be distinguished from the regional study whose author knows the area intimately through long residence or recurring visits. Rather, an exotic area is visited for geographic investigation, the intensity of which must vary inversely with the size and complexity of the area; the literature is combed for relevant material before and after the trip; as expeditiously as possible a monograph is prepared and published. In America such activity might be pursued tor a doctoral dissertation, but professional geographers are likely to devote themselves to studies focused on a particular theme, regionally or systematically defined, and to attempt regional syntheses only of areas large enough to promise textbook sale. As a result, although support for geographic fieldwork and its pursuit in the far corners of the earth has expanded enormously in the United States in the past two decades, it is unusual to find a modern comprehensive geography in English of even the most popular foci of study. Often the tourist's guidebook or the introductory chapter in an ethnography provides the only coverage more detailed than that of an encyclopedia or gazetteer. Although dressed up with interesting maps and excellent photographs, Gierloff-Emden's study of Baja California must be assessed as a pedestrian compilation. It adds little or nothing to what is known and published on the peninsula, nor does it offer new geographic insights. It nevertheless has its utility: a competent professional has selected sound information, has checked it to some degree against the impressions he as a keen observer could form in a quick tour, and has made it available in one place. I am bound to cite this book the next time I am asked, as I have been in the past, What is the best general work on the geography of Baja California? It is the first book for a serious student of the area to read.-HOMER ASCHMANN