Reviews several books on modern Brazilian history, including: `The Brazilian Empire: Myths and Histories,' by Emilia Viotti da Costa, `Brazil: The Forging of a Nation, 1798-1852,' by Roderick J. Barman, `In Pursuit of Honor and Power: Noblemen of the Southern Cross in Nineteenth-Century Brazil,' by Eul-Soo Pang, `Brazil, Empire and Republic, 1822-1930,' edited by Leslie Bethell, and `Household Economy and Urban Development: Sao Paulo, 1765 to 1836,' by Elizabeth Anne Kuznesof.