Spain Books

Juan C. Mercado's Building a Nation explores the life and cultural production of one of the most brilliant, and yet least known Latin American authors, Esteban Echeverría (1805-1851); it is one of the first critical and theoretical studies of the Argentine author. Echeverría is the author of La Cautiva (The Captive), El Matadero (1838)(The Slaughterhouse), and Dogma Socialista de la Asociación de Mayo (1846) (Socialist Dogma) in which he discusses his political doctrine. The ideas and principles included in Socialist Dogma would be later used as a stepping stone for the writing of the Constitution of the Republic of Argentina. In Building a Nation, Juan C. Mercado recuperates and brings into light the life and work of one of the prominent literary and political figures of the Río de la Plata ( Argentina and Uruguay). Mercado analyzes Echeverría's work as a unit, that is, as a poet, a thinker, and a politician, and draws from a variety of sources including European ones.Building a Nation is a groundbreaking work and it is one of the most comprehensive studies on Esteban Echeverría. The book is meticulously researched and detailed and gives the reader a thorough insight into Echeverría's life and work: from the time he introduced romanticism in Argentina to the start and use of a new critical and realist narrative in the literature of the Río de la Plata, as well as the founding of a liberal-humanistic doctrine that would strongly influence political life in Argentina. The book will be useful in both Latin American literature and areas study; it is also of general interest.

Juan C. Mercado's "Building a Nation" explores the life and cultural production of one of the most brilliant, and yet least known Latin American authors, Esteban Echeverría (1805-1851); it is one of the first critical and theoretical studies of the Argentine author. Echeverría is the author of "La Cautiva" (The Captive), "El Matadero" (1838)(The Slaughterhouse), and "Dogma Socialista de la Asociación de Mayo" (1846) (Socialist Dogma) in which he discusses his political doctrine. The ideas and principles included in Socialist Dogma would be later used as a stepping stone for the writing of the Constitution of the Republic of Argentina. In Building a Nation, Juan C. Mercado recuperates and brings into light the life and work of one of the prominent literary and political figures of the Río de la Plata ( Argentina and Uruguay). Mercado analyzes Echeverría's work as a unit, that is, as a poet, a thinker, and a politician, and draws from a variety of sources including European ones."Building a Nation" is a groundbreaking work and it is one of the most comprehensive studies on Esteban Echeverría. The book is meticulously researched and detailed, and gives the reader a thorough insight into Echeverría's life and work: from the time he introduced romanticism in Argentina to the start and use of a new critical and realist narrative in the literature of the Río de la Plata, as well as the founding of a liberal-humanistic doctrine that would strongly influence political life in Argentina. The book will be useful in both Latin American literature and areas study; it is also of general interest.

We just traveled from Roncesvillas to Santiago by bicycle. This was an excellent set of maps that we consulted each day to plan and during the day to be sure that we were on the correct route. I only regret that I did not get the guide books that accompany the maps.

This is a very handy and useful little booklet. For my three-week Camino experience I kept the booklet readily accessible in my outside pants pocket. I repeatedly referenced the booklet throughout the day. It's narrow size and the ability to bookmark the page with the flaps on the front and back covers made it easy to retrieve and reference using only one hand. The day-at-a-glance layout, with distance intervals and albergue locations clearly marked plus a profile illustration displaying the changes in altitude along the route make this a very useful reference source. As titled this is a book of maps, there is very little narrative dedicated to recommended sights to see along the way.

Remaining true to its source while rendering Muntaner's unusual prose style in perfectly clear, modern English, this new translation by Robert D. Hughes, preceded by an illuminating introduction by the noted historian Jocelyn Hillgarth, plunges the reader straight into the heart of the frequently internecine world of medieval (western-, central- and eastern-) Mediterranean political relations.
Perfectly placed to render an account of these is the narrator himself, a key figure in the Catalan Grand Company, a mercenary army officially instituted after its signal successes against Angevin forces in the Sicilian campaigns of the dying years of the 13th century. Although, throughout its activities, the Company was ostensibly independent from control by the monarchs of the Catalan Kingdoms, these latter are known to have exercised a degree of influence over its exploits, particularly in matters pertaining to existing rivalries with the ambitious French Houses of Anjou and Valois.
Muntaner personalises his account of the Company's dealings with the Byzantine Empire, the central focus of this story, through his portrayal of Roger of Flor, former Templar, buccaneer, and first leader of the Grand Company. As Muntaner states in the opening lines of this very extract: "I shall speak to you about a brave man of humble origins who, because of his bravery, rose in a short time to a greater height than any man ever born." Because of his close relations to Roger, Muntaner is able to provide further psychological depth not only to this (and other) character(s) but to the esprit de corps uniting these mercenaries under Roger's leadership. Muntaner is thus able to lend not only credibility but a profound sense of justice to the intensely felt notions of honour and chivalry under which this force claimed to operate.
Other translations of Catalan medieval literature are currently under preparation and will be published by Barcino and Tamesis.

This book is one of the most interesting pieces of the European Medieval Literature, although unknown by the general public nowadays. Most Catalan people and tourists know that Muntaner is one of the most important streets of Barcelona, but very few know why. There are no equivalents to that text during the medieval period. This text is only a part of whole Chronicle of Muntaner, but it's the most interesting one. The siege of Gallipoli is, for example, one of finest episodes of the book and also of the whole Catalan literature.

The life of Roger de Flor as told in this Chronicle was the basis of Tirant Lo Blanc, the greatest Catalan novel of the Middle Ages, which is at the same time one of the major influences of the Don Quijote by Cervantes.

Alexander and Sonia Alland have produced a rigorous yet fascinating ethnographic study which will prove of enormous interest to those scholars of anthropology while remaining accessible to the layman. Theirs is fieldwork at its best.
I admire the historic knowledge of the Catalan idiosyncrasy throughout two focus points. Two centers in two countries; Port-Bou, in Catalunya, an autonomous region in Spain, and Cerbère in France.
When we read maps, we see the geographic boundaries but we rarely see maps that indicate the boundaries of language, surely, a more accurate guide to the cultures of the world than politically negotiated frontiers. Catalan, the language, straddles the line of the Pyrenées like a shadow on the landscape of the Principality it once was.
The book portrays the Catalan language heritage, the political prosecutions it has suffered and the different ways of dealing with them Catalan people on both sides of the border have demonstrated. It also reveals the, not very promising, current reality of the language.
Into the living fabric of a language is woven the cultural personality of a nation and it is upon this entity that Alex Alland has directed his attention with dedicated scholarship. Indifference, neglect and persecution have each in their turn taken their toll, but this excellent study shows the pulse of this ancient language yet beats with life.

An absorbing book I cannot recommend too highly.

This book guides us through one of the world's most fascinating regions -- Catalunya, a nation without a state located between France and Spain. The author, Alexander Alland, is an anthropologist who has written extensively about visits to other strange lands and friendly people. Here he provides an excellent background of Catalunya's history and culture, then focuses on two villages, Portbou and Cerbére, where he interviews locals and learns of their struggles to maintain their language and culture in the face of constant change.

In the wake of 9/11 and our military enterprise in Iraq, Americans are asking more informed questions about the relations between Muslims and non-Muslims across the globe. Cervantes in Algiers--a magisterial exploration of the socio-political world of 16th-century North Africa--maps the surprisingly porous frontiers between Muslim and Christian worlds in the early modern period. This pioneering book minutely examines Cervantes's five-year captivity in Algiers and gauges the impact of this traumatic experience on his fiction. As Cervantes himself reminds us in the prologue to Part One of Don Quijote, his great novel was "hatched in a prison." Cervantes in Algiers rethinks the connections between trauma and creativity even as it enlightens the long and vexed history of relations between Islam and the West. A five-judge panel of the Modern Language Association of America awarded this book the 2003 James Russell Lowell Prize for the most outstanding book in Literary Studies.

Cervantes In Algiers: A Captive's Tale is a meticulously researched and scholarly study by Maria Antonia Garces (Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies, Cornell University) of the years that Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the celebrated Hispanic literary masterpiece "Don Quixote", spent as a slave and prisoner of the Muslims in Algiers. Examining how captivity affected Cervantes and his writing, the complex interplay between Christian Spain and Islam, and searching for enduring truths that reflect throughout history and modern times, Cervantes In Algiers is clearly a "must-read" title for any devoted reader or scholar of Cervantes' classic work and enduringly popular work.

This series of books is absolutely wonderful for little kids, and even some older ones. They tell the story of the people who were part of our country's beginnings, in simple terms and beautiful illustrations. I look forward to buying them for my grandchildren some day.

I bought this to use in my 6th grade reading classroom. It is excellent to use to teach reading skills such as main idea, author's purpose, or summarizing. I put it in a center and students have 10 minutes to use the book for an assignment. Since it is at a lower reading level, students have success in building skills to use in higher level texts.

This book is a good addition to the grade 1-6 classroom library.

I have yet to find a better Spanish cook book!

Simplicity with outstanding taste . A positive way to impress guests . Can't fail . If you like mediterrean foods you need this to complement your refrences . Enjoy .

The story of the first Spanish settlement in the New World and its relationship with the local Taino Indians on Hispanola. Established by Columbus in 1493 the settlement faced hard times to carve out an existence in a new land. This story uses archeological evidence and other sources to tell the story. A fascinating history that is both obscure, small and very colorful.

Seth J. Frantzman

I read it in three days.

A must have book for anyone interested in the Conquista and early colonization of the Caribbean and America in General. I also believe that anyone interested in the life and deeds of Christopher Columbus should read this work.

The authors' combination of archaeological excavation with documentary research is excellent and should serve as an example for future research projects. Furthermore, some of the discoveries they made will be quite unexpected and surprising for the general public, and even for those familiar with their work.

Despite the fact that both Deagan and Cruxent are highly regarded experts in Caribbean archaeology, they have written a book that can be enjoyed by the general public.

This Osprey title goes into much greater detail on German participation in Spain during the Guerra Civil. Accurate numbers on German combatants from all services are supplied. There are some details on equipment used, though some more color plates for tanks, artillery and aircraft would have been helpful. The uniform illustrations are the usual Osprey quality. This volume fills some gaps left by the other Osprey titles, the "Spanish Civil War" and "The Spanish Civil War in the Air".

terrific and informative. Excellent color plates. Very good reference for the historian or figure painter.

In Girona, blind physician Isaac, who lives in the Jewish Quarter and is the personal doctor of Berenquer De Cruilles, the Bishop of Genoa, has a particularly perplexing case. Raimon Foraster has been suffering from insomnia and when he does sleep, he has awful dreams. He begins having stomach cramps and starts vomiting. Isaac cures the symptoms, but he has yet to find the cause of the malady. Recently the addition of Raimon's heretofore unknown baseborn brother Guillem into the household is trying to insulate himself into their good graces.

While Isaac is dealing with Raimon's illness, his assistant Yusuf is called home to his family in Grenada when they find out he is alive. When he arrives there, he known as Lord Yusuf and is at the center of political intrigues until someone tries to poison him. The Emir of Granada thinks he should leave until they find out who is behind the attempts on his life. He makes his way to Girona and has some interesting information that sheds some light on Raimon's poisoning and eventual death.

This meticulous researched medieval historical mystery brings to life a bygone era thanks to Caroline Poe's visual descriptions of that era. Although Isaac is blind, he is still able to be an excellent physician as he has an astute mind that allows him to conduct a homicide investigation. The two sub-plots involving Yusuf and Raimon interact at one point and that leads to the truth about the homicide. CONSIDERATION FOR AN EXILE is what a great mystery is all about.

Harriet Klausner

This latest Isaac of Girona mystery novel proved to be a perplexing and intriguing one from start to finish, and one that I found really hard to put down once I had started it.

Raimon Forestar, a well-to-do land owner, has been having some very vivid nightmares almost every night. The nightmares, while they vary slightly in locale and people, always involve the burning death of a woman who seems to know Raimon and who seems to expect Raimon to save her. The nightmares are really affecting Raimon's health, and he decides to consult Isaac (a much respected physician) for his advice and help. Isaac believes that Raimon's nightmares may have a psychological root -- some suppressed memory from Raimon's past that has recently resurfaced and that is causing him a lot of discomfit. A suspicion that is further bolstered when Isaac discovers that a man claiming to be Raimon's long lost half brother has suddenly turned up, and has insinuated himself into Raimon's life, causing a lot of resentment within Raimon's family and servants. At the same time, the Emir of the Kingdom of Granada, a bloodkin of Yusuf Ibn Hasan, Isaac's assistant, courteously requests that Yusuf return home so that he can be reunited with his family. But upon returning to Granada, Yusuf discovers that while his family is happy to have him home again, someone would rather that he remained presumed dead and in Girona. As Yusuf tries to distinguish between foe and friend, and Isaac tries to untangle the source of Raimon's nightmares, two separate and impeccable killers with agendas of their own move to remove the two very vulnerable humans who stand in their way...

Fast paced, thrilling and riveting, "Consolation For An Exile" was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I really glad that I spent my Sunday afternoon with such an absorbing and rewarding read. Not only was the storyline a really good one (the subplot involving Yusuf and his dangerous journey back to Girona from Granada, was a really thrilling one), but so too were the character portrayals and historical bits as the author sketched out the political intricacies at the court of Granada and brought to life the dangers and difficulties that the surviving Cathars faced. On the whole, I've never been disappointed in any of Isaac of Girona mystery novels: each one has proved to have been an excellent read. Caroline Roe's agent and publishers really need to make a bigger deal of her series -- it's every bit as good as the Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series. So why isn't there more fanfare for Isaac of Girona?