Product Description

Every school and public library should update its resources on Spain with this lively and succinct narrative of Spain's long and rich historical experience. Emphasizing people rather than abstract developments, this narrative makes Spanish history readable and engaging. Based on the most recent scholarship, it examines the politics, society, economy, and culture of Spain chronologically, focusing on the last two centuries. Pierson, a noted authority on Spanish history, traces Spain's foundations in the Roman empire and Muslim conquest to its golden age in the late Middle Ages, its subsequent decline, and its struggle to build a democratic government and modern economy following the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The work provides a timeline of events in Spanish history, brief biographies of key figures, and a bibliographic essay of interest to students and general readers.

An introductory chapter offers an overview of Spain today, its geography, government and politics, economy, religion, and culture.The next few chapters discuss its earliest cultures, its place in the Roman empire, its Christianization and years as a Germanic kingdom, and its incorporation in 711 C.E. by military conquest into the world of Islam. The energies developed in the Christian reconquest of Spain led to its embarkation on the conquest of an overseas empire in the Americas and the Philippines that lasted for more than 300 years and had a profound effect on global history. The interests of the Habsburg (1516-1700) and Bourbon (1700-1808, 1814-1868, and 1875-1931) dynasties on the Spanish throne made Spain a major player in European power politics into the years of the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. By 1825, its resources drained, Spain painfully adjusted to straightened circumstances, endured civil wars and dictatorships, and struggled to build a democratic government and modern economy, which it has accomplished today.

Customer Reviews (2)

Great deal
We have found it so much more economical to order
books on line for college classes. They are easy to
find and this book was in excellent condition. A great
value.

Interesting and easy to read history
If you are an American, your touchstone of European history is always England. For much of the world, Spain is the "old country".This book mademe see Spain in the way I see England. I now have a better feelfor the land and its people. A good popular history. ... Read more

Product Description
The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today. For more than a thousand years, Sepharad (the Hebrew word for Spain) was home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. Summarily expelled in 1492 and forced into exile, their tragedy of expulsion marked the end of one critical phase of their history and the beginning of another. Indeed, in defiance of all logic and expectation, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain became an occasion for renewed creativity. Nor have five hundred years of wandering extinguished the identity of the Sephardic Jews, or diminished the proud memory of the dazzling civilization which they created on Spanish soil.This book is intended to serve as an introduction and scholarly guide to that history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Brilliant
I read the 1992 edition.Gerber does an excellent job of piecing together the history of a far flung people.She collects a lot of facts that I have learned about and weaves them all together in a very readable book.There is a lot here.The Jewish experience is recounted against a backdrop history.I just read it for the second time because I wanted to absorb it all.I commend the author for an excellent job.

A great introduction to the history of a great nation
I came to this volume as part of a project to further my education about Islam and its relationship with the rest of the world, which had led me to an interest in the Golden Age of ha Sefarad, and to inform myself further about Judaism, about which I have had too little information to understand its relationship with the world at all. This book serves both purposes beautifully. While serious in tone, it is very readable indeed and provides what I would judge to be a good, neutral perspective. My purpose and conclusions are probably different to those of a student of Sephardic studies, who will probably already be intimately aware of the tenets of Judaism and less interested in the comparative lessons I draw between Islam and Christendom. (As the astute student will immediately grasp, I am one of what I might lightly refer to as the goyish diaspora.)

The book provides insights on Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Spain and the Jewish Diaspora more generally. I recommend it highly to the serious reader and less so for the seeker after simplistic propaganda formulations. It does not pull punches about the treatment of Jews by the two major rival religions, but I find it fair and carefully-researched.

Important and informative
Much has been written about the Jews of Spain and much of it idealizes the experience and pretends that Al-Andalus, or Islamic Spain was a utopia for Jews.Among these fantasy books are God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 and The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain.However this book, which is scholarly and informative gives a much deeper understanding.It is more than a history of the Sephardim of Spain, it is a history of the Sephardim and their 'experience'.

This amazing experience began in Spain under the Visigoths and early Islamic rulers between the 8th and 11th centuries.But then a great decline set in after the Almohad(Almohades) invasion.Around 1060 and after Jews began being persecuted by fanatical Islamic despots.Pogroms were unleashed and Jewish geniouses such as Maimonidies had to flee.Some Jews even fled to Christian Spain.

After 1492 and the expulsion of the Jews by the Catholic kings Ferdinand and Isabella the Sephardim wandered throughout the Islamic world and Christina Europe.The found homes in Amsterdam, the new world and the Ottoman empire where their Ladino language lives on to this day.The Sephardim that converted to Christianity were brutally persecuted in the inquistion, but their descendants to this day live throughout the Latin world.

A fascinating book.

Seth J. Frantzman

The best book of Sephardic Jewish History
This is a wonderful book. It is well written, objective, and there is a lot of interesting information. I've had this book for several years and I learn something new each time I read it. I've read many books about Sephardic history and it is by far my favorite. It's the book that inspired me to learn more and even study in Israel.

Excellent summary of Sephardic History, well told and well paced.
I knew little of Sephardic Jews, but a trip to Spain prompted me to buy this book.It is a sad, but amazing story and fills me with great respect for these people and their ancestors.Jane Gerber seems pretty objective, but clearly cares deeply for her subject.I found myself wanting to learn more, but fear that other books might be too academic. ... Read more

Product Description
The rich cultural and political life of Spain has emerged from its complex history, from the diversity of its peoples, and from continual contact with outside influences. This book traces that history from prehistoric times to the present, focusing particularly on culture, society, politics, and personalities. Written in an engaging style, it introduces readers to the key themes that have shaped Spain's history and culture. These include its varied landscapes and climates; the impact of waves of diverse human migrations; the importance of its location as a bridge between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and Europe and Africa; and religion, particularly militant Catholic Christianity and its centuries of conflict with Islam and Protestantism, as well as debates over the place of the Church in modern Spain.Illustrations, maps, and a guide to further reading, major cultural figures, and places to see, make the history of this fascinating country come alive. ... Read more

Product Description
The book is a popular history of Spain and the Spanish Empire from prehistoric times to the present day. It provides description and analysis of political, social, economic and cultural events over the centuries, which together shaped the history of this distinctive country. The book offers 60 illustrations and maps, including 16 pages of color photographs, as well as lists of historic places to visit at the end of each chapter. There is a dynastic chart, suggested readings, and index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

The story of Spain: Dramatic History of Europe's most fascinating country
This book isvery informative, giving an insight into how Spain became the country we all know and love. From the Romans and the Moors to the Civil war and onwards to today it's a most interesting and detailed account of life on theIberian peninsula. Highly recommended.

so-so read
It was farily interesting to me but it took me quite a while to read.

Así así
1:

I read through parts of this book in college and it makes for an interesting "story" but not a "history."Williams is very familiar with his history, but by no means a historian, as is disclaimed.The text reads very dramatically and there is an element of a movie-like narrative.Filled with information surrounding some of history's better known emperors and kings, and also with some of history's lesser known events, "The Story of Spain" is in my opinion suited for the high school level or as a lenghty travel guide.It is clearly not academic (no bibliography or works cited) and over familiarity with the reader does not sit well on the consciences of history investigators.The book, though, does have hope.The text needs to be revamped and expounded on the surrounding issues involved in history than just the "story" itself, which leads me to >>>

2:

When one examines Spanish history, Portugal (or, for the sake of generality, the then Gallaecia and the Suevic provinces) is usually omitted or swept under the carpet.Though not a kingdom until 1128 AD, the areas untouched by the present author almost cry out for attention.Though the book is on Spain, the entire Iberian peninsula is involved.Too little, I feel, was brought in to better illumine the occupation by the Romans and later the Visigoths (who, have no "real" mention in the third chapter) and even less was said on Portugal, or Lusitania.

Unsatisfactory
Did not receive the book, order not filled, complaints filed but no satisfactory resolution to date.

Good read, nice background.
I bought this book in preparation for a trip to Spain this year.It was a pretty quick and enjoyable read.Helpful too, are the lists at the end of each chapter where you can go to see some of the history described in that chapter.Every historian has a "slant" or "bias" but there appeared to be minimal interference from that in this book.Williams writes about the good and bad points of Spain and covers it pretty well from Celtic through modern times.I was going to read additional books on Spanish history, and may yet, but I feel this book gave me an adequate enough sense of history to add significantly to my trip. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
A comprehensive narrative history which should prove useful to teachers, students, and general readers in European history. It gives primacy to political events without neglecting institutional, social, and cultural matters. Recommended in Laura Berquist Medieval English amp Spanish Hist/Geog/Lit Syllabus, Laura Berquist Medieval European Hist/Geog/Lit Syllabus Author: Joesph F. O Callaghan Grades: 9 and up Number of Pages: 728 Paperback Publisher: Cornell University ISBN 0-8014-9264-5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The foundations for modern Spain defined
O'Callaghan provides a highly approachable history that looks at the multiple invaders that helps define Spain's emerging national character in the post-Roman world.In the south, the Andalusia cultural capital, Cordoba, rivaled Baghdad and laid claim to some of the foremost Muslim and Jewish scholars, who, amongst other things, safeguarded the works of the ancient Greeks; whereas in the north, the Castilian-Leon kingdom, in broadening political franchise to include that of the emerging merchant class, developed one of the first representative governments in modern European history: the Cortes. In the end, Ferdinand and Isabella oversaw a societal transformation that cast aside a feudal past and set in motion a centralized empire and culture which soon came to dominate much of the world.

A vital text on a re-emerging topic
Previous reviews have decried this book for lack of readability; this is a pity, the purpose of this book was not to be for light summer reading, but to provide information on a previously obscure topic.Current authors writing about Medieval Spain still cite this book as the go-to reference, period.
The book encompasses the entire history of Spain from the fall of the Roman Empire to the reign of Fernando and Isabel.If you needed one book on this subject it would be this one, especially as a reference work.

Classic Standard Text
This is the classic standard text and the best one volume overview of the period.Spanish history available in english tends to be broken down into ghetto sub-subjects making it difficult to arrange the period information relative to each other.This book will give you a general framework to organize the information of this period.Dry reading but useful to the thoughtful reader.This volume is inadeuqate as a sole source of medieval Spanish history but should serve as a base to branch out to the readily available historical alleys.

A good reference but a tough read
The major problem with this book is that it tends to get bogged down in narrative without enough analytical insight.The result is that the reader is faced with hundreds of pages of which kings fought which, married whom and so on.While there is commentary on which events are more important than others and why, it is a little sparse.I read all but the last 100 pages or so as I just ran out of steam.However, as a person who is interested in Spain and Spanish history, I plan to keep it on my shelf for reference purposes.

The book is sensibly divided into major historical time periods (i.e. Visigothic, Caliphate, etc) that give a good organizational framework.Each time period typically has two chapters.The first is more or less a historical narrative and is usually the more difficult to get through.The second is an often interesting discussion of the social and political institutions of both Christian and Islamic Spain.For example, there is a chapter that outlines the major officials of the Umayyad caliphate, their roles, powers, prejudices and so on.

Inadequate
O'Callaghan's history of the Iberian peninsula, though exhausting in its detail, falls prey to typical western biases and employes the fallacious traditional historiography of Iberia, emphasizing the "Re"-Conquest and a supposed "move towards unity."This approach is woefully inadequate for understanding the events of Medieval Iberial, and fosters an unfair appraisal of the Muslim culture that flourished there for centuries.Additionally, O'Callaghan has managed to, through his exceedingly dry prose, completely emasculate this otherwise exciting and vibrant subject.In all my years as a history student, I have never read another text from which I retained so little; my classmates concur on the matter.Therefore, I wholeheartedly denounce this text. ... Read more

Product Description
In this up-to-date and engaging tour of Spain through the ages, one of the world's leading authorities on the history of Spain, Sir Raymond Carr, provides an authoritative overview of a country that has played a vital role in the history of the Western world.
He tells of prehistoric Spain and of the imposition of Roman rule, which created the idea of Hispania as a single entity. There are knowledgeable discussions of the Visigoth monarchy, Moorish Spain, the establishment of an empire, and the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Carr examines not only the political and economic development of Spain, but also the extraordinary artistic and literary achievements of the Spanish people. He charts the rise and fall of liberalism in the nineteenth century, and the subsequent period of political instability culminating in the Civil War and authoritarian rule. The book concludes with a look at modern Spain as a fully integrated and enthusiastic member of the European community.
Attractively illustrated throughout, Spain: A History is the best historical account of Spain currently available for general readers.Amazon.com Review
Spain, influential historians once maintained, was an"exceptional" country--meaning that, in many key respects, it layoutside the course of European history. Unlike any other nation ofWestern Europe, Spain was for centuries the province of Islamicrulers, and the crowned heads of other parts of the continent scornedit as an "oriental," necessarily backward nation--when in many ways itwas considerably more advanced than its neighbors.

The exceptionalist view of Spanish history was misguided and damaging,writes the eminent historian RaymondCarr, but it was one that many Spanish people accepted: to them,it helped explain why Spain, once so mighty and rich an empire, shouldhave fallen behind while the rest of Europe grew stronger andwealthier, and why a retrograde ruler like Franco could have remainedin power when democracy flourished elsewhere.

Carr and his colleagues, including several Spanish scholars, seek torestore Spain to the mainstream of European history in this highlyuseful survey. Taking in a view that extends deep into prehistory andforward to the recent presidential elections, the contributorsemphasize the diversity of Spain's many peoples, whose union under thekings and queens of Castile and Aragon would bring so much of theworld under Spanish dominion, and the difficulty of maintaining thatpolitical union in the recent climate of ethnic and regionalrivalry. --Gregory McNamee ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

I Should Have Paid Attention ToThe Less Than Stellar Reviews
Excellent compilation of well written essays on the history of Spain. Comprehensive and succint, but boring as all get out.Having trouble with insomnia?Then give this book a try.I was hoping to get a grasp on Spanish history and this book certanly made me aware of the complexities, but it did nothing to ease the burden that the lay reader faces on the subject. I would recommend this book as a reference but not as a starting point or a casual read, despite its relative brevity. Those with a stronger background on the subject may have more of an appreciation.

good stuff
It was really well organized and added good tid bits to along with the facts presented.Unfortunately, a ttimes the author used terms that needed to be looked up in the dictionary.

Turgid Prose
Each chapter of Spain: A History, is written by a different author.Each chapter roughly covers a defined period of Spanish History.However, the authors their approach to reviewing history from one chapter to another, in addition, the historical periods are not usually completely different and wash over each other.Some of the writing is excellent.Some chapters are written by academics who are confused by their own writing.I had to buy a different book.

Great Expectations
I bought this book for my Russian daughter-in-law who had little knowledge of Spanish history. I also hoped for an update on my own knowledge. Both of us were disappointed. Indeed such was the masking of basic facts that I found myself acting as teacher to an avid intelligent puipil. Perhaps I should have known that a composite history of this type was bound to fail because in this day & age no academic is going to subordinate his opportunity to shine as against subordinating his ego to honest scholastic team work.

The Epitome of a Scholarly, European History Boook
Words that define this book:accurate, engaging, reliable, fascinating, scholarly, solid...Even the Spaniards awarded this exacting Englishman with the famed "Prince of Asturias Award" and an honorable doctorate from the University of Madrid.

This book is a must read for any Iberophile! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Marvelous paintings
This is an oversized coffee table book that does exactly as the title indicates. It begins with prehistory 20,00-1000 B.C. with cave paintings and concludes with the cultural renaissance and the "generation of '98." Consequently not muchis covered of Spain in the 20th or let alone the 21st century. The text is pretty well written in a highlightUSA Today fashion but the true beauty and reason to own this book is the art work dispalyed. Within you will see the works of Velasquez, Goya , Murillo, Miro,Sorolla, Picasso and other less knownbut almost equally impressive outside of Spain artists works. Interestingly enough Dali is absent. Most of the paintings are currently housed in The Prado, Museo de Bellas Artes, or some other museum in Spain . If the paintings are not in a museum than they are in palaces like thePalacio Real or El Escorial so they are quite rare and old. Besides famous paintings there also sculptures used to explain the history of Spain. Ancient codice are examined usually without any specifics other than saying it is an Archivo de Indias(Indian archives).The whirlwind detailed history lesson also goes through the Moslem and Christian Period, The Catholic Sovereigns, The Exploration of the New Worldand The House of Bourbon. Many aspects of Spanish history are looked at including literature and architecture. A nice book to look at anytime, good for high school reportsand especiallybeneficial for a students knowledge of art and history. ... Read more

Product Description
Since its first publication, J. H. Elliott's classic chronicle has become established as the most comprehensive, balanced, and accessible account of the dramatic rise and fall of imperial Spain.Now with a new preface by the author, this brilliant study unveils how a barren, impoverished, and isolated country became the greatest power on earth-and just as quickly fell into decline. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Good account, but.....
I read this book many years ago and liked it, but it truly distorts reality like most English historians seem to enjoying doing when writing about Spain. After 1716, Spain went on to have a resurgence as evidenced by the fact that Spain defeated England durng the War of Jenkin's Ear(1739-1748). The reason I can't find any book about that war on Amazon.com is because that war was a crushing embarrassment to British pride and her bigoted historians. Spain ended up in that war with the lion's share of the Caribbean and lost no land despite strong effort by England. Spain remained a great empire until she had to defend herself against the invading Napoleonic forces.

Still a lot of prejudice against Spain

To all those reviwers who say that Spain declined due to intolerance and the Inquisition? Please, as compared to whom at the time? Was not England persecuting Catholics and later killing Irish like sheep? Was not Calvino burning his opponents, among them many Spaniards? As to the treatment of the Indians in the colonies...well how many of them are left in anglosaxon colonies?
And , my God what a nonsense to say that Spain collapsed in the XVII century? Did you ever know that Spain was at the apex of its territorial expansion at the end of the XVIII century? Did you know that despite the losses in Europe Spain still managed to defend successfully its overseas Empire till around 1820? But what kind of Spanish history are you taught in angloprotestant countries? Did you know that shortly after the Great Armada there was a equally powerful English Counter Armada that was infamously defeated by Spain? Did you know that in the mid XVIII century Vermont was ingloriously defeated in Central America? Did you know that in 300 hundred years of history the Manilla Galleon only suffered 3 captures by English and Dutch pirates...where is the decline?

A solid account and author!
A solid and readable account of the rise and fall of Imperial Spain by an experienced scholar. The book dedicate a great deal to the reign of Isabella and Ferdinand, which is regarded as the golden age of Castile with the discovery of America and the finishing of the "reconquista" but also marking the expulsion of jews and the beginning of the inquisition. Mr. Elliott explain the whole context of those years, politically, socially and economically, the real situation of the people of the time and the differences between the crowns of Castile, Aragon and Portugal. As the book advances and with the following Kings, the author makes clear the difficult situation of Spain, with an empire geographically separated, agravated by several revolts either at home or abroad, with the core of spain overburden with taxes, with a stagnated economy and more important, a mediocre ruling class. These are just part of the reasons that finally led to the dissolution of the empire at the beginning of the 1700. In summary, this book totally fulfilled my curiosity to understand this period of Spain, and like the last words of the book: "Castile has made Spain and Castile has destroyed it" (Ortega y Gasset).
Note: I had the opportunity of being at the Escorial, I just regret to not having read this book before.

Good Overview
Synopsis of Early Modern Spain starting with Ferdinand and Isabella through Phillip II.Not the most in-depth or inclusive book on the subject, but has enough to get a person started.This book is blander than other history books I have read, but if you can make it through, it will give you a good grasp on Spain at its highest point.

A Distant Warning
Spain experienced a metamorphosis in the 16th century.It had been a divided country battling with an age-old enemy.Its separate parts worked more against each other than with each other; Castile concentrated on the fight to reconquer the land from the Muslims, while Aragon and Catalonia fixed their sights on a Mediterranean trading empire and control of southern Italy.Under Ferdinand and Isabella, well-known as the patrons of Columbus, the Moors were conquered, the Jews expelled, and all three main parts of Spain joined under one crown.Spain soon acquired a vast empire in the Americas and Asia.Through marriage, its fortunes were hitched to the Habsburg crown, thus despatching Spanish arms and treasure to the endless European wars in Italy, Germany, and the Low Countries.Spain rose to a certain proud zenith, both in war and in administration of its vast lands.The arts began to flourish.Portugal came under the Spanish crown for sixty years.The glory days did not last long as history goes.By 1640, Spain had crashed.It was bankrupt, taxed-to-the-limit, and losing everywhere.Its European empire fell away, even Portugal threw off Castilian rule.Government fell to mostly incapable favorites of the weak and indecisive kings.Bereft of a middle class, the only good income was to be had from the church or the court.In short, the imperial greatness, which had shot across the world like a brilliant comet, had winked out in financial collapse and administrative failure, though literature and painting continued to shine.Poor education and religious ultra-conservatism had denied Spain the leaders that might have saved it.

Elliott's history of Imperial Spain paints a clear picture of the reasons for this abrupt rise and decline.He concentrates not on battles, foreign adventures or any sort of "glory", but on administration, finance, the strong differences between Castile and Aragon/Catalonia, the Inquisition, trade, and domestic policy.I admit that such a mix may not be everybody's cup of tea, but if you are serious about learning the reasons for Spain's brief term at the top, you will certainly need to read this work, an amazingly complete study that stands with some of the best history books ever written.Though the title contains the years 1469-1716, the vast bulk of the book concerns only the sixteenth century.

It seemed to me, as I read IMPERIAL SPAIN, that the book should be required reading in Washington, but of course our "leaders" are not interested in history.They reflect in their actions an uncanny resemblance to that Spain of its glory days, thinking that glory can never end, that the mighty shall not fall.Since we seem unable to avoid foreign wars, our education system is inadequate, we are facing a rising tide of religious obscurantism, and worst of all, we operate at a huge deficit, there are some disturbing parallels.Could we learn from the history of Imperial Spain ?No doubt.Will we ?No way. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Disappointed!
I was really excited when I checked this book out from the library. I unfortunately found it a huge disappointment. There were too many dry, unimportant facts bundled up with some tolerable information. I really wanted to learn so much more from this book. I definitely know more now than before I ventured into reading it, but I just expected a greater deluge of knowledge. I'm relieved that I checked it out before I bought it.

Strong on the last 200 years
This book is a relatively short overview of the history of Spain over roughly 2,500 years.Necessarily, it does not cover all topics in great depth.However, it becomes clear through the course of the book that the author's interest is primarily in the last 200 years.Depth and detail increase exponentially as the book moves forward in time, to the point that the Spanish Civil War, the Franco years and thereafter receive the same number of pages that a number of centuries received earlier in the book.

This is turn means that the book is strong on how the current Spanish situation came about, and what forces shaped Spain's present political and social atmosphere.However, for readers looking for example for information on the 600+ years of Moorish influence in the south of Spain, the text is much more sparse.Even the days of the Spanish empire in the New World receive scant attention, and the Inquisition rates barely a mention.

The book is well-written, and appears intended for a general audience rather than for academia.As such it is quite accessable, although there are times when it degenerates into little more than a recitation of names of monarchs, their wives and children.

For readers looking for the roots of present-day Spanish politics and recent history, this book will be very useful.Those wanting to read about the glories of Moorish Spain, the Reconquest, the Spanish Empire and similar topics, however, would be better served by finding another book. ... Read more

Product Description
The History of the Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a new abridgement of Diaz del Castillo's classic Historia verdadera de la conquista de Nueva España, offers a unique contribution to our understanding of the political and religious forces that drove the great cultural encounter between Spain and the Americas known as the "conquest of Mexico." Besides containing important passages, scenes, and events excluded from other abridgements, this edition includes eight useful interpretive essays that address indigenous religions and cultural practices, sexuality during the early colonial period, the roles of women in indigenous cultures, and analysis of the political and economic purposes behind Diaz del Castillo's narrative. A series of maps illuminate the routes of the conquistadors, the organization of indigenous settlements, the struggle for the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, as well as the disastrous Spanish journey to Honduras. The information compiled for this volume offers increased accessibility to the original text, places it in a wider social and narrative context, and encourages further learning, research, and understanding. ... Read more

Product Description
John L. Kessell’s "Spain in the Southwest" presents a fast-paced, abundantly illustrated history of the Spanish colonies that became the states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and California. With an eye for human interest, Kessell tells the story of New Spain’s vast frontier--today’s American Southwest and Mexican North--which for two centuries served as a dynamic yet disjoined periphery of the Spanish empire.

Chronicling the period of Hispanic activity from the time of Columbus to Mexico’s independence from Spain in 1821, Kessell traces the three great swells of Hispanic exploration, encounter, and influence that rolled north from Mexico across the coasts and high deserts of the western borderlands. Throughout this sprawling historical landscape, Kessell treats grand themes through the lives of individuals. He explains the frequent cultural clashes and accommodations in remarkably balanced terms. Stereotypes, the author writes, are of no help. Indians could be arrogant and brutal, Spaniards caring, and vice versa. If we select the facts to fit preconceived notions, we can make the story come out the way we want, but if the peoples of the colonial Southwest are seen as they really were--more alike than diverse, sharing similar inconstant natures--then we need have no favorites. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Engaging and a different perspective from the history I learned in school
I first came across this book when I was doing research at my local library for a novel I am currently writing that is set prior to 1848, before the U.S. took possession. I found this book to be truly insightful, easy to understand, and captivating. The huge nuggets of information gave me a different perspective about what really happened in the southwest. I could easily draw parallels with imperial Spain to that of the U.S. because of the author's way of presenting information in a very candid and non-biased point of view. I grow weary of the same "Imperial White America" condemnations found in many history books that many people don't realize that conquest is not partial to white dominance, but rather to man's insatiable quest for power and domination over other cultures most vulnerable to their highly advanced weapons. Overall, this is a book I'm adding to my collection. Worth reading if you want a refreshing perspective from the type of history you learned in school.
JAX, Author, Freelance Writer, Entrepreneur
Author of Heart of the Jaguar
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Colonial History is about Conquest . . . This is colonial history!
While I appreciate the comment about being frustrated, how can one possibly look at colonial history without talking about conquest and domination and killing Indian people (Sadly, this is almost a definition of colonial history)?

The purpose of a colony, especially a mercantilist colony (which Spain, England, France, and Russia were, incidentally) is that the colony survives for the benefit of the mother country.
But, unlike the English and French regions, Spaniards had to have contracts from the king to settle or explore, as Kessell makes very clear, and had to abide by over 8,000 rules and regulations about the Indies. No other European colony had accountability like the Spanish. This book is far from Black Legend (I have some suggestions for that).

Colonial history is about conquest, domination (how else do you turn something into a colony?), control, exploitation (some worse than others), but they all had to follow the regulations set up in the Recopilacion de las leyes de las Indias==and even Onate was found guilty of using excessive force against the Acoma Pueblos, living immorally, executing two of his own colonists (and more--, even though he eventually got exonerated by King Philip IV).

While this book delves into COLONIAL history from a Spanish perspective, it is about as balanced as one can get. My only complaint is also a compliment--Kessell is an amazing storyteller (the way history should be), but sometimes the storytelling gets the reader off track and it's hard to come back to the flow of the chapter.

Good on ya, Kessell.Great book!

You can find better books on the American Southwest than this!
The author seems more concerned with cramming as many Spanish names as he can into this book than with telling a coherent, engaging story about the Spanish conquest and settlement of the American Southwest.Tangents galore!One moment this group is settling Santa Fe and the next moment some bozo is inciting a rebellion!Sure, you'll glean some interesting knowledge if you read the whole book, but you're better off looking elsewhere if you're looking for an interesting read.I finished the book just to get my money's worth, nothing more.

Excellent Overview
John Kessell has again provided an insightful and clear overview of Spanish presence in the Southwest. The careful reader will readily notice Kessell's talent for fleshing out the important events and shifting developments during this long period of time. And as always, it is remarkably well written. Contrary to the previous reviewer's comments, Kessell's book does not espouse any semblance of 'Spanish Black Legend.' Not even implicitly. He instead presents conflicts between Spaniards and Native peoples with diplomacy and dignity. One can easily recognize Kessell's deep appreciation for the history of this region. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of the Spanish Colonial Southwest.

Same Old Black Legend Rhetoric
I must say I'm very disappointed. It's the same old Black Legend rhetoric that I've come to expect when I read a book about Southwestern history. I must admit I'm hardly finished but, I have gotten through to the fourth chapter in which he talks specifically about Oñate. I quote:

"By performing them (formal rites) properly, don Juan meant to maintain what he perceived as a right relationship with his universe--his god, worldly lords, subordinates, and environment--and, at the same time, awe non-Christians into embracing the Spanish way. As Colonizers, few Spaniards would ever recognize that the Pueblo Indians, through their equally elaborate and symbolic rites, sought a similar harmony.But invaders always want more. Whatever they called it, conquest or pacification, they willed to dominate."

His chapter on Coronado said nothing of the lands that were mapped for the first time or Coronado and his men paving the way for Lewis and Clark only to get the short end of the stick when it comes to glory.He focused on the negitative parts of Coronados journey.

I'm going to continue reading until I finish this book. I don't know, maybe the theme will change. I doubt it.

Signed
One very disgusted Spanish girl. ... Read more

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Product Description
The first edition of this book was published in 1966.It became a standard work as a survey of economic, social, and political origins of modern Spain leading up to the apparent defeat of the liberal tradition with General Franco's victory in the Civil War.Since 1966 there has been a revolution in Spanish historiography.The more modern history of Spain, a neglected, even dangerous field, virtually unexplored, has since come into its own.In this edition, Raymond Carr has added new chapters that examine Francoism, its political system, and the society it sustained.He brings the story up to the death of General Franco in 1975, and in an extensive bibliographical essay considers the recent contribution of Spanish scholars to the period 1808-1939. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

SPANISH MEMORIES
As the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War is approaching this writer is reviewing some important works that militants should read in order to draw the lessons of the defeat of the Spanish revolution. The writer has been interested, as a pro-Republican partisan, in the Spanish Civil War since he was a teenager.What initially perked my interest, and remains of interest, is the passionate struggle of the Spanish working class to create its own political organization of society, its leadership of the struggle against Spanish fascism and the romance surrounding the entry of the International Brigades, particularly the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the 15th Brigade, into the struggle.

Underlying my interests has always been a nagging question of how that struggle could have been won by the working class. The Spanish proletariat certainly was capable of both heroic action and the ability to create organizations that reflected its own class interests i.e. the worker militias and factory committees. Of all modern working class revolutions after the Russian revolution Spain showed the most promise of success. Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky noted that the political class-consciousness of the Spanish proletariat was higher than that of the Russian proletariat in 1917. Yet it failed in Spain.Mr. Fraser's oral history of the period, if only indirectly, gives some answers to the reasons for that failure.

The format Mr. Fraser has chosen, an oral history by participants from all sections of Spanish society and virtually all political parties, is an interesting way to provide those answers. His decision to emphasizethe rank and file and middle-level participants as they remembered those experiences in the mid-1970's rather than the big name leaders was also a wise decision. Lapses of memory and errors by the participants over time are obvious drawbacks to this format. As is the reinforced hardening of political lines due to the suppressions of political life under Franco. Additionally, from this partisan writer's political perspective too much space was given to secondary events at the expense of actions like the May Daysin Barcelona, 1937. As was the attempt to be politically too all-inclusive and even-handed which sometimes confused the issues presented. Nevertheless, this is a book that militants should read in order to get the favor of the conflict.

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 has been the subject of innumerable works from every possible political and military perspective possible. A fair number of such treatises, especially from those responsible for the military and political policies on the Republican side, are merely alibis for the disastrous policies that led to defeat. Mr. Fraser's work reaches down beyond those perspectives to look at the base that actually fought the war. What he finds is the furious nature of the struggle in Spanish society between the old agrarian- based economy and the newer capitalist- based economy; the religious tensions caused by the breakup of the old agrarian society and the tensions between believers and church-burners; the struggle between centralizers and federalists which formed the core of the unresolved national questions, especially in Catalonia; the intense political struggles within the broad sections that supported both left and right, especially the role of the Stalinist police apparatus; the international ideological political factors that played a role, if not as erroneously assumed the decisive factor; and,finally, the burning personal antagonisms that in a civil war pit brother against brother, family against family, town against town, etc.. Read on.

THE BLOOD OF SPAIN, INDEED!
As the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War is approaching this writer is reviewing some important works that militants should read in order to draw the lessons of the defeat of the Spanish revolution. The writer has been interested, as a pro-Republican partisan, in the Spanish Civil War since he was a teenager.What initially perked my interest, and remains of interest, is the passionate struggle of the Spanish working class to create its own political organization of society, its leadership of the struggle against Spanish fascism and the romance surrounding the entry of the International Brigades, particularly the American Abraham Lincoln Battalion of the 15th Brigade, into the struggle.

Underlying my interests has always been a nagging question of how that struggle could have been won by the working class. The Spanish proletariat certainly was capable of both heroic action and the ability to create organizations that reflected its own class interests i.e. the worker militias and factory committees. Of all modern working class revolutions after the Russian revolution Spain showed the most promise of success. Bolshevik leader Leon Trotsky noted that the political class-consciousness of the Spanish proletariat was higher than that of the Russian proletariat in 1917. Yet it failed in Spain.Mr. Fraser's oral history of the period, if only indirectly, gives some answers to the reasons for that failure.

The format Mr. Fraser has chosen, an oral history by participants from all sections of Spanish society and virtually all political parties, is an interesting way to provide those answers. His decision to emphasizethe rank and file and middle-level participants as they remembered those experiences in the mid-1970's rather than the big name leaders was also a wise decision. Lapses of memory and errors by the participants over time are obvious drawbacks to this format. As is the reinforced hardening of political lines due to the suppressions of political life under Franco. Additionally, from this partisan writer's political perspective too much space was given to secondary events at the expense of actions like the May Daysin Barcelona, 1937. As was the attempt to be politically too all-inclusive and even-handed which sometimes confused the issues presented. Nevertheless, this is a book that militants should read in order to get the favor of the conflict.

The Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 has been the subject of innumerable works from every possible political and military perspective possible. A fair number of such treatises, especially from those responsible for the military and political policies on the Republican side, are merely alibis for the disastrous policies that led to defeat. Mr. Fraser's work reaches down beyond those perspectives to look at the base that actually fought the war. What he finds is the furious nature of the struggle in Spanish society between the old agrarian- based economy and the newer capitalist- based economy; the religious tensions caused by the breakup of the old agrarian society and the tensions between believers and church-burners; the struggle between centralizers and federalists which formed the core of the unresolved national questions, especially in Catalonia; the intense political struggles within the broad sections that supported both left and right, especially the role of the Stalinist police apparatus; the international ideological political factors that played a role, if not as erroneously assumed the decisive factor; and,finally, the burning personal antagonisms that in a civil war pit brother against brother, family against family, town against town, etc.. Read on.

Fantastically Vivid Account of Spanish Revolution
For years I have searched for a history like this of the Spanish Civil War.For anarchists, this is one of the most important moments of history to understand, as it was the only occurance of a mass, anarchist-led social revolution.Considering the overwhelming quantity of books and film documentaries on WWII, and the fact that Franco's military coup in Spain in 1936 and the world's response to it set the stage for the world war, the paucity of scholarly and popular works on the Spanish Civil War should be startling... if it wasn't so typical of the biases of American media and scholarship.The neglect of the Spanish Civil War, and, moreover, the Spanish Revolution that this war precipitated, is all the more tragic in light of the absolute repression of its memory in Spain during the Franco years.A contemporary anarchist from Spain told me that almost everything he learned about the revolution came from foreign sources.He was hardly aware that there had even been a revolution until he saw Ken Lasche's film "Land and Freedom"--an excellent British drama produced in the early 1990s.And this is someone who grew up AFTER Franco... and in Barcelona!--the city at the center of the revolution, a city which in anarchist mythology looms like Jerusalem to Jews and Christians.It is in light of this egregious deficit that one fully appreciates "Blood of Spain", Ronald Frazer's outstanding collection of oral histories that has preserved the dying memories of this fascinating period.

Frazer presents opinions and accounts of events from every side of the conflict.Frazer attempts to be unbiased in his presentation of the views of fascists side-by-side those of ultra-leftists--a helpful contrast to the histories written by anarchists, which are about the only accounts I have found of the collectives of Catalonia and Aragon.I imagine that most who have read this book were sympathizers of the revolutionaries and were, like I, eager to hear what life was like in revoltutionary Spain.I can't imagine this book disappointed them.The accounts of the rural collectives and of the collectization of industry in Barcelona and other cities are amoung the most vivid and moving that I have read.No one interested in this time and place--and I wish more people were!--should pass up this book.

By the way, there is a fanastic documentary called "The Spanish Civil War" that is very hard to come by, but which would be an excellent companion to this book.Although I have not confirmed it, the person who loaned me "Blood of Spain" (which I am happily buying at the time of writing this review) thought that Ronald Frazer produced the documentary as well.This would not surprise me, because, like the book, it is filled with interviews of participants, and it was produced around the same time the book was written... both done just in time: many of the interviewed probably died soon-after, and very few are still alive to be interviewed again.How much irredeemably poorer our collective memory would be without Frazer's preservation. ... Read more

Product Description
At the beginning of the seventeenth century Spain was the foremost power in Europe. Yet during the hundred years that followed, it suffered an acute decline, economically and politically. Graham Darby traces the course of Spain's eventful history down to the inglorious end of the Habsburg monarchy and analyses the various, often conflicting, explanations and interpretations of 'decline'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Spain in The Seventeenth Century
Superb, once again Graham Darby wrecks the review curb with a work that is both incisive and challenging. I have yet to find a more consistently excellent historical author, or one that is so willing to challenge established convention. It is refreshing to find a new slant on a time worn subject, and doubly so on a subject that is so often considered open and shut. I don't know if Graham Darby is considered the historian of a time, but for writing a book such as this he certainly deserves to be. This book, until he writes one about Palmerston or Castlereagh (possibly the greatest foreign secretaries Britain has ever had) will remain his 'magnum opus'.
The fact that this book is willing to give as much attention to the domestic situation in Spain at this period as to the foriegn situation gives it an incredibly balanced feel, and makes it useful for both students of history, and those who instruct in that fine subject.
If you need a book on this subject, then you need this book. It is all too often true that historians focus on the negative aspects of history, but Darby has shown that the history of Spain is both an invigorating, and an enjoyable read. Thoroughly appreciated. Keep up the good work Graham! ... Read more