A History of the British Presence in Chile: From Bloody Mary to Charles Darwin and the Decline of British Influence - Softcover

Edmundson, W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1349381098 ISBN 13: 9781349381098

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009

Synopsis

This book sets out to narrate the contributions to and influence on the history of Chile that British visitors and immigrants have had, not as bystanders but as key players, starting in 1554 with the English Queen 'Bloody Mary' becoming Queen of Chile, and ending with the decline of British influence following the Second World War.

About this title

Review:

'[Edmundson] has written such an excellent book which ought to appeal to anyone with an interest in Chile. Well-researched and concise, it is an appetite-warming guide for further reading and should be recommended to newcomers planning to spend much time in the country.' - Chilean News, (the Bulletin of the Anglo-Chilean Society in London), Year 66, No. 376, 10-11. April 2010

'I congratulate William Edmundson on bringing this important, but largely forgotten, part of Chilean history to the general public.' - Victor C. Hawkins, Chairman, British Commonwealth Society, Chile

'As the modern-day visitor can readily confirm, Chilean attitudes toward Britain are warm and admiring. William Edmundson's book is a well-documented account of how those ties were formed, starting even before the war of independence was won. He has researched extensively the motives industrial, commercial, and scientific, among others that brought adventurous and enterprising Britons to Chile, many adopting the country as their new homeland. This is an intriguing, informative book, relevant to the times, and worthy of inclusion in any Foreign Studies curriculum.' - Duncan Campbell, Site Administrator, The British Presence in Southern Patagonia

"This book provides a lot of useful reference material for anyone with Chilean ancestors or whose ancestors pursued careers there." - Jessie Denholm, The Scottish Genealogist

'A very well researched book, really entertaining reading, explaining hundreds of years of interaction between these two countries and the traces seen today in Chile' Luis Mansilla Miranda, customer review on Amazon.com.

From the Author:

The book is unique. The last attempt to write a comprehensive history of the British presence in Chile was an idiosyncratic book published in 1900.

Readers will enjoy reading about Charles Darwin's 17 very formative months in Chile. The bi-centenary of Darwin's birth (and 150 years since the publication of On the Origin of Species) falls in 2009. In addition, British sailors and soldiers were instrumental in winning Chile's War of Independence from Spain. The bi-centenary of the Declaration of Independence will be celebrated in 2010, and Chile plans to make a big splash of this event.

There is increasing interest in visiting Chile, especially Patagonia, and in knowing about the often bizarre stories connecting British pirates, sheep-farmers, and missionaries to this region. Locations used in 2008 for the filming of the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace, (the Baquedano railway junction in northern Chile), have strong associations with the history of the British presence. There are literally tens of thousands of descendants of British immigrants living today in Chile. One source estimates this number at more than 350,000 descendants. While bookshops in Chile have histories of the Germans, the Swiss, even the Yugoslavs, who settled in Chile, there is no book that tells the story of the most important foreign group to impact on the country-the British.

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1349381098
• ISBN 13: 9781349381098
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288