"Historians are at last examining in detail the relatively unknown initial half-century (1700–1750) of Bourbon rule in Spain's American realms. Eissa-Barroso (Latin American history, Univ. of Manchester, UK) adds to his earlier contributions on this topic a fine book that emphasizes the nature and politics of reform as the new dynasty shifted from the Habsburgs' traditional stress on providing justice to fostering an environment to promote economic well-being. Central to this change, the crown reduced the historic role of councils in advising the king and embraced a more vertical structure in which royal secretaries could act without this consultation. The monarchy also turned to experienced military officers as executives, curtailing the influence of men trained in law. The author uses the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Granada (today's Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela), its initial brief existence (1717–1723), and its reestablishment in 1739 as a case study of politics both at court and within the Viceroyalty. Based heavily on archival materials and recent secondary sources, this well-written book complements the opening chapters of Allan J. Kuethe and Kenneth J. Andrien's The Spanish Atlantic World in the Eighteenth Century (2014). Academic libraries should add Eissa-Barroso's volume to their collections."- M. A. Burkholder, University of Missouri, St. Louis
"For historians concerned with more marginalized social groups and individuals, this history highlights the odds against which other social actors participated in, and influenced, historical processes. This detailed work provides valuable insight into the functioning of a world empire and the historical influences that shaped the most obvious contours of that world." - Renée Soulodre-La France, King’s University College at Western University, in: Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol 98, issue 2 (2018), pp. 317-318 [doi: 10.1215/00182168-4379238]