In 1866, worn out by fighting in the American Civil War, the writer Samuel Hazard arrived in Cuba to begin work on a guidebook to the isl&. Over a period of several months, as his health recovered, he travelled throughout what was then still a Spanish colony, observing & recording daily life. The result is one of the most complete & evocative portrayals of colonial Cuban life, written in the decade when the first concerted struggle for independence was already under way. Hazard`s sympathies were clearly with the pro-independence ”patriots”, but his main aim was to produce a complete overview of the island`s sights & customs, aimed at visitors. He is informative on hotels, restaurants, & transport & sightseeing, but is also intrigued by the people he meets & the idiosyncrasies of Cuban social life. Illustrated with hundreds of the author`s own sketches, ” Cuba with Pen & Pencil” takes the reader through the historic fortresses & mansions of Havana, the tropical city of Santiago de Cuba & the plantations & mountains of the island`s countryside. With a keen & often quirky eye for detail, Hazard explores the sugar industry
- still largely powered by slave labour
- & Cuba`s other economic activities. He describes the island`s flora & fauna, its varied topography, & its varied social life, ranging from upper-class balls to slave compounds. First published in 1871 & now reissued with an introduction by acclaimed historian Richard Gott, ” Cuba with Pen & Pencil” is a unique portrait of an island & a society on the eve of fundamental & historic change.