The story of Spain

by Mark Williams

Paper Book, 2000

Status

Available

Genres

Publication

Fuengirola, Málaga : Santana Books, 2000.

Description

The Story of Spain is a very readable, one-volume introduction to this nation's fascinating history & culture, placed within a context of Europe & the Americas. The book is a popular history of Spain from prehistoric times to the present day, as well as the Spanish Empire (1492-1898). It includes description & analysis of political, social, economic & cultural events, which together shaped this distinctive country. The author brings to life all the dominant historical figures, including El Cid, Columbus, King Philip II, Cervantes, St. Theresa, Goya, Franco & Picasso. Chapters are included on ancient Iberia, the Roman era, medieval & Moorish Spain, the Reconquest, Spain's discovery & conquest of the Americas, its Golden Age & decline, the coming of the Bourbons, Napoleonic wars & the modern era leading up to the Spanish Civil War & Franco's dictatorship. After ten years in print, this revised edition features a new chapter covering contemporary Spain & the transition to democracy (1976-2000). For travelers to Spain, historic places to visit are listed, as well as 16 pages of color photos & dozens of other illustrations, a dynastic chart, bibliographic sources & index. Author Mark R. Williams received an M.A. in history from the University of California & lived in Spain for several years, where he worked as a teacher & journalist. Distributed through Golden Era Books, P.O. Box 5603, San Mateo, CA 94402. Website: www.GoldenEraBooks.com.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member danimak

This book covers an enormous amount of time; literally from the famed pre-historic caves of Altamira to the death of Franco in 1975. In general, history is way too complicated to be summarized in this fashion; many of the historical figures we are introduced to are summed up neatly for us when in

reality they were involved in much more messy, intricate historical timelines. Yet this is precisely why this book deserves praise. Williams manages to take the most important people and events in Spanish history, and boil their intricate stories down to a nevertheless coherent -- and entertaining -- story. His narrative is engaging enough to encourage further study of the periods and people he discusses.

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LibraryThing member annbury

This book is a very satisfying short history of Spain, providing an accessible, concise, and well-written view of the country's past I made my first trip to Spain this fall, and realized that, despite a great deal of reading in British and general European history, I was woefully ignorant of the

country I was visiting. This may be due in part to the fact that Spain really is "different", as the author suggests, or it may simply reflect the Whig version of history with which I grew up: what mattered was England, and neighbors who were rude enough to fight with England in recent centuries. In any event, I found this book very illuminating -- it explains many of the ways in which Spain really is different, and helped me better understand some of the art that I saw.

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LibraryThing member isabelx

"Every country and society is different, but Spain is a bit more different." Julian Pitt-Rivers

A history of Spain, from the pre-historic painters of the Altimira cave-paintings, up to Spain's entry into the EEC (although for most of the historical period there wasn't actually such a country as

Spain).

One thing that was extremely interesting, was the incompetence of most of the Spanish kings, who allowed their country to remain backward and practically bankrupt, only propped up by the treasure ships from their American colonies. The nobles despised business and trade, but unlike their counterparts in Britain they even found farming beneath them, and their vast estates (one noblewoman could travel from the East coast to the Portuguese border without leaving her own lands) were left largely untilled.

If you have a look at the family tree of Carlos II, the last Hapsburg king of Spain, you can see that his father and two of his great-grandfathers all married their nieces. There are also three marriages between 1st cousins, one between 2nd cousins and one between two people who are both first and second cousins (being the children of uncle/niece couples).

Madness and health problems ran in the family, so it's not much of a surprise that after so much inbreeding Carlos II was a physical and mental wreck. He didn't learn to speak until he was four or walk until he was eight, and according to the book, his nurse used to hold him up with strings like a marionette. He surprised everyone by living for thirty-nine years.

An interesting book about a European country that really is different from the rest.

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