The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 94, July 1990 - April, 1991 Page: 347
692 p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Book Reviews
veracity of visual reportage" and "heralded a new age of visual commu-
nication" (p. 39) in the United States.
In her essay, "Daguerreotypes of the Mexican War," Martha A. Sand-
weiss emphasizes that, though this type of photograph represented a
dramatic technological breakthrough, the difficulty of making daguer-
reotypes precluded their widespread application. Not only was a long
exposure time needed to make prints, but supplies were difficult to ob-
tain and equipment was unreliable. As a result, few photographs were
made and only two small collections have survived: one at Yale and one
discovered in 1981 now housed at the Amon Carter Museum. Sand-
weiss also provides some excellent historical detective work on these
early photographers, though she is not successful in identifying the
photographers of either of these two collections.
The catalogue itself by Ben W. Huseman consists of 164 plates in-
cluding 24 superb, full-page, color lithographs and 140 black-and-
white prints and daguerreotypes. Each of these plates is accompanied
by standard curatorial data as well as detailed descriptions of the event,
scene, and individuals depicted.
Eyewitness to War, then, is a superb addition to the historical literature
of the Mexican War. As a volume that lends itself to browsing, Eyewit-
ness to War will adorn many coffee tables, but it should also be included
in the libraries of serious students of the Mexican War because of its
scholarly treatment of the subject. Moreover, in an age of skyrocketing
prices for scholarly books, the Amon Carter Museum and the Smithso-
nian Institute Press are to be commended for producing a high quality
volume that can be considered a relative bargain at its $45.00 publica-
tion price.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee JOHN H. SCHROEDER
Limits to Friendship: The United States and Mexico. By Robert A. Pastor and
Jorge G. Castafieda. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988. Pp. xii
+415. Preface, acknowledgments, introduction, notes, index.
$24.95.)
Two political scientists, Castafieda from Mexico and Pastor, an Ameri-
can, square off in a debate on the state of United States-Mexico rela-
tions. The reader is forewarned that "Each ... considers the other a
nationalist, a firm advocate of his nation's interests and purpose" (p. x).
As a result, the authors have at times put forth positions that they do
not necessarily support. For the reader this juxtaposition at times cre-
ates confusion. When they discuss the causes for tension between these347
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 94, July 1990 - April, 1991, periodical, 1991; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101214/m1/391/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.