Spain Books

I agree with the other reviewer. PW has got it all wrong. This is a great cookbook! I have cooked about 7 recipes and have not been disappointed once. I would say that this isn't the best cookbook for a beginner cook, but better for a seasoned cook. The recipes are simple and full of flavor with just a few ingredients. Definitely a must have for any cookbook collection!

I must admit to being surprised by the rather negative review of this book by Publishers Weekly. I bought this cookbook 15 years ago, and it is still one of the most frequently used in my collection of over 100 cookbooks. Although I have never tried the Portuguese bread recipe mentioned in the review, I have tried dozens of other recipes from this book and never found any to be "vague." The recipes are authentic, easy to follow, and a good introduction to the naturally healthy cuisine of this part of the world. We particularly enjoy the poor people's lobster (monkfish cooked with olive oil, garlic, paprika, and white wine),and the simple yet tasty recipe for chicken with orange juice and fresh mint. After 15 years, I am still discovering delicious new recipes from this book. I went fishing this weekend and caught several brown trout: Navarre style trout was a hit with the whole family! Ignore the Publishers Weekly review and buy this book while it is still available.

I just got back from my first trip ever to Barcelona . I went armed with the following:
1.) Footprint Barcelona Handbook 1st Edition 2002
2.) Lonely Planet Guide 2nd Edition 2001
3.) Lonely Planet Guide 3rd Edition 2003
4.) Eating Out in Barcelona and Catalunya : by (Craig Allen)

I'll try and center this review around the :

(A.) The FootPrint Barcelona Handbook (FBH)
(B.) The Lonely Planet Guides (LPG)

Basically, if i had to choose between the Footprint Barcelona Handbook (FBH) and the Lonely planet guide (LPG), the (FBH) would remain my main reference .

I carried it with me every day and planned a whole lot of my itenary out using it.

apart from the great many sites for hotel reservations on the internet and the ones provided by (FBH) , (FBH) had a greater listing of hostals,hotels and information about their services.

I was going on holiday to Barcelona for an entire week.
ie: from the end of July to the end of the first week in August -( Peak season ).

I booked late ie : 3 days before leaving, so after exhausting all the budget hotels in the (LPG) looking for one to fit my hotel budget at the time ie: no more than 100 Euros p/night, i found that the extra hotels listed in (FBH) saved the day.

The FBH has many handy maps of the city , its metro system and an overall map of some of the neighbouring towns & cities in the region.

As a quick break down:

I spent the first 3 days in Barcelona getting to know the area via the Touristic bus -(Bus Turistic), metro, taxi & bus.
sampling the local catlan cuisine , the highly recommended eating spots, bubbly -(wines) etc.. you name it.

I then took a south-bound day trip to explore the cities outside of Barcelona ie: to Reus & Tarragona via a guided coach trip organised by the Tourist Information office at Place de Catalunya. (Not to be missed)

The rest of my time was spent around the Coastal line, visting relics from the roman era, shopping et cetera. loved it all.

These are the key points between the 2 guides:

ie:
(Strengths,Interesting features,Missing bits of info b/w the two)

(LPG) strengths:
---------------
(LPG) is strong on walking tours, it features some colorful, glossy pictures to whet the guide buyers appetite for the experience ahead. it also provides you with info on the museums, a bit on the festivals, touches on a few places to eat, where to get entertained et cetera.
it was also good on information about Tarragona ie: planning a quick itenary of places to see when you have but a limited window of time to carry out your visit. the eating spot in Tarragona recommended in LPG 2nd edition ie: (L'Ancora) served up a great seafood barbecue. (Not to be missed)

(FBH) strengths:
---------------
(FBH) is strong on maps by any quarter you find yourself in, including things to do or see while in that quarter, recommended places to eat in the neighborhood, the night life, places to have breakfast, opening and closing times for all restaurants featured -(so you know which ones are open on sundays and those that stay open till late w/out your needing to call first). it even gives you a listing of Barcelona by cusine ie: if you fancy french cuisine one night and mediterranean or catalan cuisine another afternoon; it even includes a locations index and price ranges for these eat-out spots in the appendix.

It features a useful plan of the metro which i found rather nifty for planning & finding my way via metro w/out having to get to a local station first. It was like one of those mini London metro/tube maps you get as a tourist, only this one's featured at the back of the guide already.

(FBH) is also strong on Entertainment,nightlife & History. I saw many interesting sights in Barcelona and the brief history section here gave me an idea of the forces that moulded & shaped the city into what it looks like today.

Both guides feature information on some of the places and sights outside Barcelona ie: Costa Brava,Montserrat,Sitges,Figueres,Port Aventura and bits about how to get there and things to see or do.

With the guide i was able to plan my itenary to focus on enjoying the many scenes -(tapas bars,museums,nightclubs) , eating well ,swimming in the sea , enjoying the many beaches , exploring the surrounding region, shopping and visiting relics.

Equally, although both guides provide you with some very useful phrases in castilian spanish and catalan, English is spoken by many although not entirely so . French is also very well entertained, though you'll find any attempts at communicating in Spanish rewarded with a smile and some appreciation.

Enjoy your visit!

Cheers.

This is an excellent guidebook - packed with information, beautifully phrased, and obviously written by someone with a great knowledge and love of the city. The author's enthusiasm is infectious and you feel as though you are strolling the streets in the company of a knowledgeable and delightful friend.

This book gives you a real idea of what life was like in early 20th century Spain. Barea is ruthless and unromantic in his descriptions, letting you know exactly how things worked in this dirty, gritty, cruel place and time. Don't doubt it, life really is better now than one hundred years ago. It's not a hollywood story, but you'll learn a lot, and the imagery is strong. One of my favourite books.

I first read Barea's long book in 1965 and enjoyed it immensely, as it captured a time and events with compelling immediacy. Remembering how engaged I was, I reread The Forging of a Rebel (skimming the section dealing with Barea's early childhood to get to the more exciting stuff) and found, having completely forgotten the book, that I was every bit as involved as when I read it almost four decades ago. It's a very personal account of Barea's life as it braids with the events of the time, from his work in a bank (and, later, at a patent office), through his stint in the Spanish army with duty in battle-torn Morocco, to the prelude and raging turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. His journalistic style makes for quick reading. It's hard to imagine any reader not be pulled through to the end.

What a beautiful book. The photos are gorgeous. I had no idea that Fortuny invented indirect lighting for the theatre, the dimmer switch, and a movable dome that could have images projected on it for the backdrop. He was truly a multitalented man. I bought the book mostly to learn more about the Delphos pleated dress. While there are many lovely photos, old and new, I wished there had been some schematics of the various versions of the dress. I wished there had been more information on how it was made, but then again, I guess that was supposed to be his big secret that died with him. As a weaver and textile artist, I still find the book inspiring, and it was worth the high price.

If you admire the work of Fortuny or if you just love beautiful textiles, this is the book for you. The photographs of his textiles are simply gorgeous and the text is well researched.

This book is absolutely fantastic! It's small and concise while still being detailed enough for a short trip to Barcelona. It offers several suggestons for how to spend 1, 2 or 3 days. The guide walk is perfect for our upcoming cruise. I hesitated to buy a book like this for just one city, but it really does provide SO much more information than a general Spain book would. However, it does so without being too big (or too small) and includes a great fold-out map.

I highly recommend any book in this series. The guided Modernista walk will easily fill our day and provides structure to our wandering in Barcelona. It also features a guided walk of Las Ramblas and tons of other helpful information. Nice color without being too much fluff.

This was a great guide - if I was to do it again for the first trip to barcelona I would recommend this book. For your second trip there invest in one a little larger so it can go into more detail on everything you see, but that's all. This book is great.

Dr. Pelayo has more insight into this great author than practically anyone else on the planet. Recommended.

The book allowed me to understand the complexity of the plot in One Hundred Years of Solitude. It also provided me with enough historical background information for understanding the short stories within the book. My favorite, however, was the chapter on Love in the Time of Cholera. I fully recommend this book for the reader of Garcia Marquez who lacks the background knowledge on Latin American issues.

William W. Dunmire's book just published in October of 2004, Gardens of New Spain: How Mediterranean Plants and Foods Changed America, was much anticipated in the field of public history. Dunmire worked in the field of interpretation (writing and exhibiting scholarly data in an entertaining and educational format for the public) in various park sites and administrative positions for the National Park Service for over thirty years. He now teaches at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. This stimulating work was supported and promoted by such noted historians in the specialty area of New Spain as Dr. Felix Almaraz, Dr. Rosalind Rock, and Dr. James Ivy. UTSA historian and Associate Professor, Dr. Kolleen M. Guy, used this work "hot off the press" for her fall 04 graduate seminar in Food and Drink and reported that,

"This book is generally being well received by scholars of Latin American history and borderlands studies. The book definitely opens up new areas of research. I think that we should take public historians and the work that they do quite seriously." (personal e-mail reference)

Dunmire argued that it was "one agricultural society colliding with another (Spanish and native inhabitants) over the last 350 years that forever reshaped the land and the people of America." He restated this argument in other ways: "the proliferation of Old World Foods...ushering in the grandest blending in history of international cuisines," "...the illustrious plant way from Spain had provided the grandest migration of plants, agriculture, and foodstuff in all of human history, and "the one-time clash of cultures has softened into a blend of people and ideas...."

His approach and argument was one of the so-called new methods of historiography, a different perspective, a definite departure from: the Boltonians standpoint developed in the 1915s, Carlos Castenada's Catholic view of the 1930s and 40s, and Habig's and Weddle's positive Catholic, pro-Spanish emphasis in the 1960s. Surprisingly, Dunmire blended the colorful and narrative details of Bancroft's collection and concept of destiny with a naturalist's passion for relating interactions between men, plants, and animals. His emphasis on foods crisscrossing the globe and the motives and technology associated with food's global influence and production gave this book a unique flavor (no pun intended). Weber, Chipman (who Dunmire greatly credits for his support and input on this work), and Dunmire all agree that the reader should look at New World events from all the players' points of view. Here is a yummy, 360 degree perspective that is fascinating to ingest. The tables, maps, and illustrations are one of a kind, accurate, and easy to absorb. This is a book you'll want to have in your kitchen and in your scholarly library!

Ever wonder where the tomato you are eating or the lemon you are squeezing really came from? This book has the definitive answers in an easy to read and enlightening format. It is for foodies and gardeners everywhere but focuses on foods that are central to the Mediterranean diet. Cherries, peaches, squash, coffee and chocolate all feature prominently in this food guide. It is a stomach's point of view of the Spanish colonization of the Americas with plenty of information about the natives and the foods that they were meeting. Gardeners will love the detailed descriptions of native gardening and irrigation techniques from the elaborate Aztec chinampas or floating gardens to Hohokam irrigation techniques.

My favorite part is the description of Spanish and Aztec feasts during the mid-16th century. The viceroy's banquet, "Course after course featured an abundance of meats: roasted goat kids, baked hams, and chickens along with native rabbits and venison, doves, and quail (but no turkeys). Heads of hogs, calves, and deer paraded in grand presentation featuring a musical accompaniment with trumpets, wind instruments, guitars and dulcimers...Contrast this repast to the Aztec feast...That one too, highlighted meat courses, but the Aztec selection seems much lighter, almost dainty: lobsters, sardines, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, small birds, turkeys, winged ants, and locusts (to say nothing of the sauced gophers)."

If you access history through your stomach or are interested in how native Americans in the desert Southwest managed to water their gardens; you will really enjoy this book.

I don't usually like History books, because they always feel like reading homework. A friend bought this book for me and I didn't think I was going to be interested--but I was! What a great adventure story--as interesting as Lewis and Clarke or Captain Cook's stories of discovery. I didn't know anything about this expedition, and I've lived in California all my life. I highly recommend this to people who like a good adventure book with some interesting history.

Gateway To Alta California: The Expedition To San Diego, 1769 by writer, photographer, and historian Harry W. Crosby is the story of the first land journey to San Diego undertaken by Europeans in 1769. Crosby draws upon original sources such as the journals of Padre Juan Crespi, Joseph deCanizares (Captain Rivera's official scribe), Padre Junipero Serra, and Gaspar de Portola, as well as recreating the overland trek himself (literally on foot and muleback) to map out the original and historic route that went through the then unexplored, unknown, desolate wilderness of northern Baja California to found the community of San Diego. A strongly recommended addition to California Historical Studies reference collections, Gateway To Alta California also lists the names of the Hispanic members of this historic expedition party.

I love these cassettes. They teachers on the cassettes make learning fun and easy. Excellent. Thankyou to whomever came up with the idea to make them. I would love to have the whole dictionary.

Get Around in Spain gets to the nitty gritty of traveling in a well organised and succinctly written format. The first few pages offer brief reviews of each region of Spain which makes it useful for pre-travel planning while at home, and its compact size makes it easy to bring during a day or night out once you've arrived. If you only have a limited time in Spain as I had, you will find the detailed but highly applicable language lessons, and the photographs of the everday scenes one encounters while getting around Spain by plane, train, car or bus indispensible to a smooth trip. There is so much beauty and good food and drink in Spain and this tightly packed guide amazingly covers it all. Its not a replacement for a more detailed accomodations and attractions guide like a Lonely Planet, but it is the perfect companion to one because it has the most important details and useful language scenarios readily available, without having to dig through or drag along a larger guidebook during say a night on the town.

The poems are approached and explored with different voices and forms, but they never feel like they are straying. This writing should not be missed. On a non-literary note, the wrap-around photo cover is an incredible match for what lies within. If you feel any of the "cultural" nuance of this picture, you will be touched by the words Luis Alberto Urrea has written.

I hate most poets, but I love out-of-whack word juxtapositioning and eerie language. This nugget of a book transported me into the movie "The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez" as it might have been directed by Luis Bunuel -- starring Neal Cassidy, and with additional dialogue by Jorge Luis Borges.