Because we have such a large and active Luso American community here in the Greater New Bedford Region, Baker Books has dedicated several shelves to our ancestors from the Iberian Peninsula and its colonies. Describing both the individual immigrant experience as well as the proud history of an entire nation, these titles paint a multi-faceted picture of Portugal, it's history, culture and traditions. From Vasco da Gama to Jose Saramago, here are some of the most important figures in Portuguese history.

Acores: Nove Ilhas, Uma Historia (Azores: Nine Islands, One History) Susana Goulart Costa University of California,Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies Press © Nov. 2008 $20.00 paperback		"Acores: Nove Ilhas, Uma Historia" (Azores: Nine Islands, One History) is a book by Susana Goulart Costa, published by the University of California, Institute of Governmental Studies Press. This work depicts the insular experience of the Azores since its settlement until the present day, attentively following a chronological line that begins in the XV century and ends in 2008. The settlement of the islands, their incipient political and administrative structures and main economic activities, the organisation of an insular society and the beliefs and religious sensibilities are some of the themes that are rigorously explored. Its principal purpose is to inform readers about the principal aspects of insular history. This is a concise history easily accessible to the public in general notwithstanding the author's assurance that it is a scientific work.

#12 Undiscovered Island (Portuguese in the Americas Series Darrell Kastin Center for Portuguese Studies & Culture University of Massachusetts Dartmouth © July 2009 $20.00 paperback		Alarmed by her father Sebastiao's unexplained disappearance, Julia Castro travels from California to the family's ancestral home in the Azores and finds the mid-Atlantic islands abuzz with tales of ghost ships, seductive sirens and witchcraft. The mystery deepens when a drowned man's body is discovered on a mountainside and an unknown island emerges from the sea. As she pursues the search for her father, Julia gradually succumbs to the bewitching allure of the Azores--and to Nicolau, a fellow musician--eventually discovering a place where dreams lie just beyond the horizon, shrouded in mist. History, legend, poetry and myth are seamlessly interwoven as the novel explores relationships between personal and cultural identity, fate and self-determination, reality and illusion. The novel is a lyrical evocation of a locale and a people, rendered with wonderful respect for Azorean tradition.

Through a Portagee Gate (Portuguese in America Series) Charles Reis Felix University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $20.00 paperback		Through a Portagee Gate is both autobiography and biography. It gives a remarkably honest self-portrait of growing up Portuguese in New Bedford and is also an endearing tribute to the author's father, a Portuguese immigrant cobbler who came to America in 1915. The narrative reveals a deep desire to escape the confines of the immigrant, ethnic world, while also acknowledging a keen nostalgia about one's past, a need to remember and pay tribute to those who came before us.

Journey to Portugal José Saramago Harcourt, Inc. © Mar. 2002 $16.00 paperback		When Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago decided to write a book about his homeland his only desire was that it be unlike all other books on the subject. So, he created Journey to Portugal, a record of his personal observations as he traveled across the length and breadth of the country he loves. Saramago brings Portugal to life as only a writer of his brilliance can. Forfeiting the usual sources such as tourist guides and road maps, he scours the country with the eyes and ears of an observer fascinated by the ancient myths and history of his people. Whether describing an inaccessible medieval fortress set on a cliff, a wayside chapel thick with cobwebs, or a grand mansion in the city, he makes the extraordinary places of this land come alive.

Sixty Acres and a Barn: A Novel (Portuguese in the Americas Series) Alfred Lewis University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $20.00 paperback		Sixty Acres and a Barn is Alfred Lewis' long-awaited posthumous novel. Completed in the years before the author's death in 1977, this evocative narrative tells the coming-of-age story of Luis Sarmento, an immigrant who finds in America a place of tolerance, prosperity and emotional fulfillment. This slice of immigrant life in California dairy farming is rendered memorably in prose at once insightful, lyrical and realistic in its representation of obstacles faced by those who live in insular enclaves between cultures. Sixty Acres moves beyond the idealized homeland of his first novel, Home is an Island (1951), and constitutes a serious contribution to postwar ethnic literature, making Lewis the precursor of acclaimed writers like Katherine Vaz and Frank X. Gaspar.

Ponta Delagda Pedro Cordeiro Tempus Publishing © 2001 $18.99 paperback		To those interested in the rich history of the Azores, this book - with both Portuguese and English text - offers images of one of its greatest cities. Ponta Delgada has shown itself capable of reconciling its well-maintained historical centre with the atmosphere of a modern city. From its origins as a fishing town, the city has, through the centuries, served as a stage for arrivals and departures of both people and goods. This pictorial exploration traces the city's progression from the early days to its current incarnation.

Tradition and Transformation: Portuguese Feasting in New Bedford Stephen Cabral AMS Press © 1989 $45.00 hardcover		The story of the Portuguese in New Bedford is told with depth and insight in this authoritative study of various communities and their festivals. One not familiar with the Portuguese immigrant environment can get a sense of the importance of community and tradition in these neighborhoods, and the occasional clash between old country values and American ways.

Freedom Fighters Joao Freire Black Rose Press © 2001 $24.99 paperback		Anarchism, a popular philosophical and political movement, emerged and developed amidst the social unrest of industrialized societies. Some eighty years ago, Portuguese libertarians were organized under the banner of syndicalism. This movement deeply marked the history of Portugal. Freedom Fighters examines anarchist ideas, how they arrived in Portugal, and how the anarchist program gained popularity with both the working class and intellectuals, people who believed in the slogan "with neither God nor master."

In Pursuit of Their Dreams: A History of Azorean Immigration to the United States (Portuguese in the Americas Series) Jerry R. Williams University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $20.00 paperback		Jerry Williams' history of Azorean immigration to the United States offers us valuable insight into the experience and culture of Portuguese immigrants and their descendents. This account fills a major gap in American immigration history and gives us a comprehensive overview of how Portuguese-Americans -- now numbering about a million people -- have come to constitute a vibrant and highly visible presence within southeastern New England, the areas around San Francisco and San Diego, Hawaii, and the New Jersey/New York metropolitan area. Even though Azorean immigrants all came from similar cultural and social backgrounds, Williams shows how regionally specific opportunity structures and social hierarchies have contributed to significant differences within the Portuguese-American experience.

Prince Henry 'the Navigator' a Life Peter Russell Yale Univ. Press © 2001 $17.95 paperback		This large, authoritative volume on the most famous figure in Portuguese history deals less with the inner life of the man himself, and more with the political and religious climate of his era. Considered along with Columbus to be one of the progenitors of modernity, Prince Henry challenged the scientific assumptions of his age and was responsible for liberating Europeans from geographical restraints that had bound them since the Roman Empire's collapse. Russell's lively analysis of the Prince's actions and motivations form an epic drama of science and religion, set against the backdrop of medieval Europe.

The Tragic History of the Sea C. R. Boxer Univ. of Minnesota Pr. © 2001 $24.95 paperback		In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, tragedies and terrors plagued the perilous sea-trading route between Portugal and India. Among the narratives that chronicled these voyages, those written by the Portuguese are unequaled in their suspense and drama. This newly translated edition contains many famous Portuguese shipwreck stories as well as a new translation of the tragic tale of Captain Manuel de Sousa Sepœlveda, who was shipwrecked with his family and crew near the Cape of Good Hope in 1552. Rife with compelling and often gory details, Boxer's tales are filled with despair, mayhem, selfishness, cruelty, pirates, and the brutal elements of nature. Vividly descriptive and engrossing, The Tragic History of the Sea will captivate readers of all nations.

Portuguese-Americans and Contemporary Civic Culture in Massachusetts (Portuguese in the Americas Series) Ed. Clyde W. Barrow University of Massachusetts Dartmouth $20.00 paperback		There are large concentrations of Portuguese-Americans in the towns and cities of Southeastern Massachusetts yet there has been little scholarly effort to study their political and civic behavior in this region. Until now...With this collection of essays, Barrow examines the political and cultural influence of Portuguese-Americans in this regions asking; Who are the Portuguese of Southeastern Massachusetts? What is their political influence in this region? How do they participate in government? What is their economic status? And what are their opinions on social and cultural issues in the region?

Land as Far as the Eye Can See Donald Warrin and Geoffrey Gomes Arthur Clark Co. © 2001 $39.50 hardcover		A pioneering work in a field long neglected, this is the tale of the men and women of Portugal and how they came to settle the vast American West. Opening with an overview of Portuguese history, the text gives special attention to the role of whaling as the major factor leading to Portuguese migration to New England and subsequent settlements in California. Innovative in structure, Land as Far as the Eye Can See mingles biographies of Portuguese immigrants with studies of their occupational pursuits and places them in a particular geographic context. Through the deeds of these pioneering immigrants, the book gives a rather complete history of the opening, conquest and development of the West.

The Portuguese Making of America Manuel Mira P.A.H.R. Foundation © 2001 $15.00 paperback (Also available in Portuguese)		Printed by the Portuguese American Historical Research Foundation, a North-Carolinian non-profit organization, this 497 page history describes a colorful and revealing account of some of our nation's earliest settlers. With 119 illustrations and over 1000 footnotes, The Portuguese Making of America may be the most complete and up-to-date account of the Melungeons and other groups who settled in North American and shaped the history of our young country. A work-in-progress, the author invites you to read the book and submit any corrections, omissions or suggestions to be included in the next edition.

Portuguese Voyages 1498-1663: Tales from the Great Age of Discovery C. D. Ley Phoenix Pr. © 2000 $16.95 paperback		Portuguese Voyages tells the story - in many voices - of the great Portuguese Age of Discovery. Embracing three outstanding feats - the opening of the ocean routes, the colonization of Brazil and the spreading of Christianity abroad - this volume features both straightforward historical accounts and fine literary expressions of these adventurous times. Included in the book are journal entries from Vasco da Gama's first voyage, a letter to King Manuel from Vera Cruz, an excerpt from one of the greatest travel books ever written, and a personal narratives of shipwrecks and sea voyages.

Into the Rising Sun: Vasco da Gama & the Search for the Sea Route to the East Luc Cuyvers TV Books © 1999 $29.95 hardcover		A companion to the PBS series of the same name, this book describes the journey that put Portugal in the forefront of international commerce and power. On July 8, 1497, Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama left Lisbon on a dangerous voyage to India, the fabled land of spices and oriental treasures. He returned two years later with less than a third of his original crew. Having traveled 27,000 miles, da Gama discovered a new and important trade route which vastly changed the commerce of Portugal and Europe.

A Good Man in Evil Times José-Alain Fralon Carroll & Graf © 1998 $22.00 hardcover		History has long forgotten his name, yet the heroism and spirit of Aristides de Sousa Mendes live on and are commemorated with a forest in Israel. A man of individual conscience and courage, Sousa Mendes served in the early years of World War II as the Portuguese consul in France, where he ultimately sacrificed his diplomatic career to save the lives of thousands of Jewish refugees. This poignantly narrated chapter from Holocaust history demonstrates how and why Sousa Mendes deserves a place of honor among heroes like Oskar Schindler.

The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama Sanjay Subrahmanyam Cambridge Univ. Pr. © 1997 $22.95 paperback		Vasco da Gama ranks alongside Magellan, Cabral and Columbus as one of the great voyagers of the Age of Discovery, yet little is known about his life, or about the context within which he 'discovered' the all-sea route to India in 1497-99. The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama, puts da Gama's into a social context, focusing on the delicate balance between his 'career' and his 'legend'. It argues that Gama's political position in Portugal makes him an unlikely candidate for the role of nationalist hero and explains how da Gama and his descendants managed to transform an obscure nobleman from the Alentejo into the Great Argonaut.

Hebrews of the Portuguese Nation Miriam Bodian Indiana Univ. Pr. © 1997 $19.95 paperback		In the seventeenth century, descendants of forcibly baptized Jews, or conversos, fled the Iberian Inquisitions to settle in Amsterdam, a city renowned for its commercial ties and religious tolerance. On arrival, the conversos lacked clear ethnic or religious identities and had little social organization, yet they formed the nucleus of what became a strongly cohesive community with a highly structured and well-developed sense of its Jewish identity. Drawing on family and communal records, diaries, memoirs, literary works, and other sources, Miriam Bodian reconstructs the fascinating story of how these Portuguese immigrants - merchants, professionals, and intellectuals - reasserted their Judaism, while maintaining their Iberian heritage.

A Concise History of Portugal David Birmingham Cambridge Univ. Pr. © 1993 $16.95 paperback		As a new member of the EEC as well as a emerging tourist attraction, Portugal has in recent years experienced great social and economic change. This concise, single-volume account of Portugal's history since the days of dictatorship and colonization offers a healthy introduction to the people and culture of the country, its three empires in Asia, America, and Africa, and its quest for modernization, political stability, and international partnership. It is sure to become required reading for anyone interested in the development of Portugal's social, political, and economic structure.