Description
With a new preface by William A. Douglass A classic study of the Basque diaspora now available in paperback. When Amerikanuak was first published in 1975, it was hailed as both a pioneering study of one of the American West’s most important ethnic minorities and as an engaging, comprehensive survey of Basque migration and settlement in the Americas. Its value as an essential introduction to the history of the Basque people and their five centuries of involvement in the New World has not diminished in the thirty years since, and it remains the most accessible overview of the Basque diaspora in the Western Hemisphere. Research for the book took the authors through ten states of the American West, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela as they traced the exploits of Basque whalers in the medieval Atlantic, the Basque conquistadors, missionaries, and colonists who formed a dramatic part of the history of Spanish America, and the Basque sheepherders who were the backbone of the now nearly vanished range-sheep empires of the American West. They also follow the story of the Basques back to their mysterious origins in prehistory to provide background for understanding the Basques’ character and their homeland in the Pyrenean mountains and seacoasts between France and Spain. This new paperback edition makes this indispensable study of Basques in America available to another generation of readers. It includes a fresh preface by William A. Douglass that considers the study of Basque emigration since the book’s first publication.

Reviews
"The scholarship, narrative, and sources cited make this book required reading for students, genealogists, and scholars interested in the Basque experience in the New World." —Colonial Latin American Historical Review, Summer 1997

"Amerikanauk is an impressive volume. Its superior bibliography attests to the depth of their work. This insightful and mature book deserves a wider circulation than it will probably receive." —Andrew Rolle, Southern California Quarterly, Winter 1976

"Though the distinguished authors . . . modestly claim to have done no more than make a preliminary exploration of the subject, their treatment is likely to remain the standard for a considerable time." —Peter J. Coleman, Library Journal, May 15, 1976