Cigars, mojitos, beaches, baseball and Hemingway haunts are all very well. But for those who want to pack along 500 years of history with their sunscreen, here is a lively and unbiased primer on Cuba that reflects the island's remarkable history.
Covering Cuba's history from the first tourist--Christopher Columbus--to the latest of the CIA's 40 assassination attempts against President Fidel Castro, Cuba: A Concise History for Travellers covers Cuba from the off-limits birthplace of El Presidente to the country's most sacred site, the Virgin of Copper church.

Accompanied by more than 30 black and white photos, Cuba contains a one-of-a-kind Dictatorship Index, a CIA Hit (& Miss) List and information on:

* How and why Che Guevara died
* Fidel Castro's family tree and love life
* Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis
* The Mafia, gambling, prostitution

For tourists and armchair travellers alike, Cuba provides a thoughtful and fascinating look into the Caribbean's largest and most controversial country.

Alan Twigg is the publisher and editor of BC Book World, Canada's largest-circulating publication about books. He has also been contributing editor of Quill & Quire, Canadian books columnist for the Vancouver Province, books columnist for Vancouver magazine, a contributor of profiles to the Toronto Star and the Writers Union of Canada representative on the board of directors of the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing. In 2000, he was the first recipient of the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contibutions to literature and publishing.

Alan is the author of ten previous titles including For Openers: Conversations with 24 Canadian Writers, Hubert Evans: The First Ninety-Three Years, Vancouver and Its Writers, Vander Zalm: from Immigrant to Premier, First Invaders: The Literary Origins of British Columbia and Cuba: 101 Top Historical Sites.

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