Book Fiend Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 I'm really interested in reading about Spanish history, but I find picking history books to be a bit hit and miss, so I was wondering if anybody could recommend something that isn't completely impenetrable and deeply confusing! I'm particularly interested in 20th century history, but I don't mind if it covers before this. I have no previous knowledge so I need something that provides a good general overview. I'm after something that is quite detailed but still fairly easy to read (I know I may be asking too much!) All suggestions gratefully received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted October 21, 2009 Share Posted October 21, 2009 Andalus by Jason Webster is a very interesting read looking at Spain's forgotten Arab legacy. This was my review: It took me a while to decide to read this book, as I'm not really a fan of history books, and I had a feeling this would veer more towards the history genre and away from travel, but I'm glad I picked it up in the end. It is just as much about the author's travelling and recounting of the stories and conversations with the various people he meets to learn about the Moorish legacy in Spain, with a liberal sprinkling of history and myth thrown. I loved his delight in finding the Arabic origins of common words and phrases in Spanish. Well worth reading, and I'll be adding the other book of his I haven't read, Guerra, to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bel-ami Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 You could try The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas.......a doorstop of a book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 How about Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett - a mix of travel and history, where he travels to delve back into 20th century Spanish history? More specifically, Antony Beever's Spanish Civil War has had loads of good reviews - I've not read it, but enjoyed others of his. The Very Short Introductions are usually good, but tend to be just that, so may not be what you are looking for, but there is one on the same subject. More focused than the whole of Spain, I really enjoyed Robert Hughes's Barcelona. Highly readable history of the city, which of course is not exactly representative of Spain as a whole! On a more contemporary note, so may not satisfy your focus on history, a friend of mine recently recommended The New Spaniards by John Hooper, and it has 13 5-star reviews on Amazon. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueK Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 You may also like to try Guernica by Dave Boling which deals with Spanish Civil War and WW2 in the Basque region or Winter in Madrid by C J Samson which also deals with the Civil War. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 You may also like to try Guernica by Dave Boling which deals with Spanish Civil War and WW2 in the Basque region or Winter in Madrid by C J Samson which also deals with the Civil War. I'll second these two suggestions - both are excellent reads which taught me a huge amount about Spanish history and culture. We've just returned from the Basque region and it was fascinating to actually see the places mentioned in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Fiend Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 How about Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett - a mix of travel and history, where he travels to delve back into 20th century Spanish history? More specifically, Antony Beever's Spanish Civil War has had loads of good reviews - I've not read it, but enjoyed others of his. The Very Short Introductions are usually good, but tend to be just that, so may not be what you are looking for, but there is one on the same subject. More focused than the whole of Spain, I really enjoyed Robert Hughes's Barcelona. Highly readable history of the city, which of course is not exactly representative of Spain as a whole! On a more contemporary note, so may not satisfy your focus on history, a friend of mine recently recommended The New Spaniards by John Hooper, and it has 13 5-star reviews on Amazon. HTH Ooh I think I came across some of these whilst doing a bit of Amazon research. Antony Beever's Spanish Civil War looked very good, as did The New Spaniards. In fact, I might give that one a try. I'm learning Spanish at the minute so I just thought it would be nice to learn a bit about the country. Thank you all for your suggestions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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