Line in the Sand : A History of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border.

This monograph, unlike most studies of border areas, focuses on the border itself, from El Paso to the Pacific Ocean. St. John (Harvard) traces its history from the placement of the US-Mexico border in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo through its use as a military and political tool in the 1930s. A conclusion deals with the issues of the present-day border. Defining the border was the first step for both the diplomats and the surveyors who battled Apaches and thirst in the desert. As the border gained visibility, filibusters, ranchers, merchants, and capitalists strove to gain profit and power from cross-border transactions. The Mexican Revolution and WW I militarized the border but also created opportunities for those living there. Afterward, each side sought to control trade and traffic for various reasons, including enforcing morality, but with limited success. The author includes anecdotes from archival materials for each phase of the border's development, making the book interesting and easy to read. Each chapter contains enough background information, so readers do not need to be experts to understand the book. Useful for any border studies program. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. J. A. Stuntz West Texas A&M University