Spain Books

This book is jam packed with full-page (and full-color) layouts of some of Dali's best works. It comes complete with a biography and the author's interpretations of the paintings. I recommend this book to anyone who loves Dali and all things surreal. It is worth well over the price I paid.

Las horribles pesadillas sobre un asesinato brutal que se repite noche tras noche es lo que une a Salomon Rulfo, Raquel y al Dr. Ballestero a buscar el origen de este llegando poco a poco a descubrir una situación insolita. Trece Damas o Brujas que viven eternamente cambiando de cuerpo que usan la poesía como armas de poder para hacer y deshacer a sus anchas en el mundo de los mortales pero que a su vez estan en pugna entre ellas por una lucha de poder y supremacia.
Una novela muy bien escrita donde hay una mezcla de novela policiaca, de fantasia y terror muy bien entrelazada que capta la atencion y curiosidad del lector desde el principio.

This is the first book I've read by Jean Plaidy and I was pleasantly surprised! Plaidy's writing style, her keen knowledge of history, and her ability to really develop the characters into living, thinking human beings made for a terrific read, --- even though the story, for the most part, is a sad one.

After spending decades uniting and bring peace to Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella finally have the time and wherewithal to concentrate on establishing a lasting dynasty. Ferdinand knows that this can only be achieved by marrying their five children off into the royal houses of Europe. Through his sheer will and his political prowess, Ferdinand has the House of Spain poised to become Europe's greatest dynasty. Isabella, however, is torn and hates to see her children sent off from her, missing so much of their growing up fighting for her crown. She knows Ferdinand's ambitions are sound but she finds herself torn between her duty as Queen and her love as a mother. Of all the characters, she generates the most sympathy.

The first marriage arranged had already been a tragic one. Princess Isabel had married the King of Portugal only to have him die a short time later. When his cousin, the new King, offered to marry her so she could keep her position as Queen, she refused and returned to Spain. Getting her back to Lisbon was one of Ferdinand's principal goals. Her stubborness to not marry a man she did not love caused friction between them throught the first third of the book.

Meanwhile, Crown Prince Juan, first heir to a united Spain, has been set up to marry Margaret of Flanders. Once again, Ferdinand sets up an genuine love match only to have it end in tragedy. Juan dies of a fever and Margaret gives birth to a stillborn son.

Next comes Juana's turn at the alter. She marries Philip the Handsome, Margaret's brother and heir to the Hapsburg crown. Philip, a philanderer and political snake, uses the near obsessive love Juana has for him to secure the crown of Castile for himself. Meanwhile, Juana slips more and more into insanity.

Finally, Isabel agrees to return to Portugal and marry the King, only to be tormented by what she believes is a curse on the family for their expelling the Jews. She dies after giving birth to Miguel, the heir to both Spain and Portugal. He, too, dies after only months of life. Maria, then, is sent to Portugal where she meets a similar fate to that of her sister.

Catalina, the baby of the family, and through whose eyes most of the story is told, is then sent to England where she becomes the ill-fated Catharine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII's many wives.

This book is full of excellent imagery, dynamic plot twists, powerful dialogue and true emotion not often seen in historical novels. If you can find it, buy it. You won't be disappointed!

This little pamphlet is well written and an easy read. The author, who lived and fought with the Iron Column, sets out to unblemish its record during the Spanish Civil War and he is brilliant in his explanations. This is the story of a truly libertarian group that was vilified by its adversaries, most notably the Communists and the Fascists. The booklet illuminates effectively the direction and goals of the Iron Column and is convincing in its appeal for a reasoned reassessment of this group.

Days of Hope is Malraux's powerful renedering of the 1930's spanish civil war.Malraux focuses on the republicans sense of valour and justice in the face of the fascist forces. Nonetheless this is one of the most balanced novels to emerge from the spanish conflict.The text moves with vigor from one area of conflict to another. In the air, tank assaults and infantry battles are all dealt with in prose of heart rending beauty and majesty. He portrays real heroism and its absusdity. The tension in the novel is maintained by the conflict between man's capacity to discover himself in violent expereince and the ridiculousness of violence itself. The book follows the lives of two main characters, Manuel, a communist labourer who becomes a colonel, and Magnin, an ex airline pilot, now commander of the International Air Force. There are other characters all beautifully and serenly drawn by Malraux. These are flesh and blood men,grappling with the moral and political ambiguities of their situation, believing, thinking, killing and dying. This book can bring one to tears, an honest imaginative evocation of the civil war and an important 20th century novel in every way. Inexplicable that it remains out of print in English.

I have discovered that author Ronald Syme has written many historical biographies in particular for children. I may even have read something of his when I was kid, since he seems to have published since the 1960s. His books are timeless, well written and easy to follow, presented in a story-type format, and including interesting details to personalize the history. I read his book about DeSoto as part of my own research about the Spanish explorers of North America. As an adult reader of this book, I was able to glean a good understanding of who deSoto was and what he did. The last I had ever heard anything about deSoto was in sixth grade, along with a brief mention of the names and discoveries of other early explorers, such as Ponce deLeon. DeSoto's story is really fascinating, and Syme's version is sure to interest today's children. It covers the difficulties met by deSoto's men in crossing difficult territory and confronting hostile natives. It does mention the injustices the Spaniards meted to the natives, but not in the horrific detail that will be found in biographies meant for older readers. I recommend this book as well as other works by Syme to interest young readers in the subject of history.

Book was sent in a very speedy manner and came as was described. Definitely recommend for future orders

This is a tremendous book. First published in 1994, it has proven its quality over the years. It is the most important book on the Devil in colonial Mexico, and one of the most significant books on religion in the colonial New World. It is frequently quoted by major historians of the period. The content is gripping, the style is elegant, and the approach is very accessible. Students like this book and find it very useful. A major work in intellectual, cultural and social history.

Este libro es uno de esos que encuanto empiezas a leerlo, no puedes dejarlo, y te envuelve tanto en la historia, que realmente son dos paralelas y que alfinal se entrelazan, la forma de narralo y el vocabulario tan coloquial de nosotros lo Mexicanos es sensacional, yo lo leia y me moria de risa, y mi novio que habla ingles aun traduciendocelo no podia enteder que de lo que me reia era del vocabularion tan magnifico que usa Xavier. "PADRISIMO"

This is the largest fragment of Columbus's first voyage log, as abstracted by Bartolome de Las Casas. Of the many editions in print, Dunn & Kelley stands head and shoulders above the rest. The format has a new Spanish transcription on the left-hand pages, exactly as hand-written in the original manuscript by Las Casas: same abbreviations, strike-outs, diacriticals, and marginal notes. The right-hand pages contain an English translation.

But perhaps the most valuable addition for the scholar is the Spanish concordance of the entire text, giving folio and line numbers for every appearance of almost every word. (Common words such as prepositions are given only with word counts, not references.) All in all, a must-have for any serious scholar or afficianado of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea.