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Reviews
Reviews
Not just another maritime disaster drama, this history of a Spanish galleon sunk by the English in 1708 offers fascinating glimpses into Spain's American empire... By plumbing the dashed hopes of those invested in the success of the San José, Phillips endows her narrative with a foreboding poignancy.
Her work proceeds, even with its scholarship, to retain the basic magic of the tale of the magnificent galleon under the command of the Count of Casa Alegrre and manned by 600 souls, all still resting untouched and waiting.
Phillips' book does much to dispel longstanding myths and provides a close look at maritime practices as well as the difficulties posed by allowing memory to stand in for fact... Certainly the most fascinating portion of the book was Phillips minute description of the battle that resulted in the loss of the San Jose.
It sounds like the title of a boy's own adventure tale or an Erroll Flynn movie, and rightly so: The Treasure of San José has a swashbuckling spirit and contains all the elements for an old-fashioned romance: sea battles, suave adventurers and sunken treasure. But it also displays the kind of detail and precision that comes from shrewdly plundered archives. Carla Rahn Phillips is clearly an assiduous historian with an eye for an extraordinary story.
Phillips' impeccable scholarship, detailed reporting, and careful analysis will appeal primarily to students of Spanish history and naval affairs.
A book that will please and reward all students of Spanish imperial and maritime history.
A well-written and well-researched book which can be effectively read by both scholar and novice.
For Carla Rahn Phillips, the sinking of the San José is significant beyond the terrible tragedy and can be used as a lens to view complex themes in a changing Spanish Empire... This is a very well-written, analytical study based on extensive fresh archival research.
The author has used this wealth of documents to write a marvellous book, fascinating from beginning to end.
A penetrating micro-study of the Spanish monarchy during the conflict over the Spanish succession... The human element is never forgotten as she probes the lives and careers not only of viceroys, but of lesser officials and soldiers, and even the humblest seamen and their families.
A first-rate book written by an experienced historian at the height of her career.
A model work of historical investigation: painstaking, meticulous, searching. It is also an example of the best sort of microhistory: exhaustive in depth, but far-reaching in breadth. Documents are handled with unfailing deftness, and with a detective's tenacity, to provide a blow-by-blow account of the battle in which the San José went down and to resolve the question of how much cash it carried. Phillips displays versatile historianship, with outstanding work on ship construction, shipboard life, and the diplomatic background to the war.
About
Book Details
Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x 9
Pages
280
ISBN
9781421404165
Illustration Description
15 b&w photos, 4 maps
Subject
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Last Galleons
2. Commanders of the Fleet
3. The Men of the San José
4. A Tale of Two Viceroys, One Captain General,and a World at War
5. The Last
Acknowledgments
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The Last Galleons
2. Commanders of the Fleet
3. The Men of the San José
4. A Tale of Two Viceroys, One Captain General,and a World at War
5. The Last Voyage of the San José
6. After the Battle
Postscript
Appendix 1: The Spanish and English Calendars in 1708
Appendix 2: Treasure Registered on the San Joaquín in 1712
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Resources
