Title: Empire by default
First published: 1998
Description: Empire by Default is considered (as of 2012) the definitive work on the Spanish-American War.  A huge book, it starts in the 1860s and leads the reader through the causes of the war in 1898, the war itself and its effects.  It is basically a synthesis of research as of its publication in 1998, including very little original research.  It is dense and chock-full of information but sometimes a chore to read.
Subjects: Spanish-American War, 1898, United states, foreign relations, 1897-1901, Spaans-Amerikaanse Oorlog
Places: Santiago de Cuba, Tampa, Manila, Puerto Rico
People: Theodore Roosevelt, George Dewey
Time periods: 1868-1898
LC classification: E715 .M97 1998