Basadre was a prolific writer; his numerous works on the history of Peru in the 19th and 20th centuries are still a benchmark for historians interested in this period. His publications include "La multitud, la ciudad y el campo en la historia del Perú" (1929), "La iniciación de la República" (1929-1930), "Perú, problema y posibilidad" (1931), "La promesa de la vida peruana" (1943), "El conde de Lemos y su tiempo" (1945), "Meditaciones sobre el destino histórico del Perú" (1947)", Chile, Perú y Bolivia independientes" (1948), "El Perú en la cronología universal, 1776-1801" (1957), "El azar en la historia y sus límites" (1971), "La vida y la historia" (1975) and "Elecciones y centralismo en el Perú" (1980). However, his most important work is his "Historia de la República del Perú" (History of the Republic of Peru), first published as a single volume in 1939. It grew in size with every new edition until reaching sixteen volumes in the 6th edition of 1968. By that time it covered with rigorous detail Peruvian history from Independence in 1821 until the death of president Luis Miguel Sánchez Cerro in 1933. Basadre supplemented his History of the Republic with the publication of "Introducción a las bases documentales para la Historia de la República del Perú" in 1971 a thorough review of primary sources about the republican history of Peru.