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Biography of the Bulls: An Anthology of Spanish Bullfighting
"All the pageantry, history, religious and social ceremony behind one of the most extraordinary spectacles to be seen today--the bullfight--is here assembled in what is unquestionably the most ambitious and authentic anthology of the classic bull ring.
From the wide range of literature and art on the Spanish fiesta, Rex Smith has selected those works he considers the most revealing: from the bull's entrance on the scene as a god,a symbol of virility, or as a sacrifice, to the final perfection of the basic forms of the bullfight. Here are accounts both written and visual to recreate the excitement, the drama and the mystery of the bullfight. ..."
- interior jacket flap synopsis
From the wide range of literature and art on the Spanish fiesta, Rex Smith has selected those works he considers the most revealing: from the bull's entrance on the scene as a god,a symbol of virility, or as a sacrifice, to the final perfection of the basic forms of the bullfight. Here are accounts both written and visual to recreate the excitement, the drama and the mystery of the bullfight. ..."
- interior jacket flap synopsis
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1957
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 17, 2024
Oct 17, 1130am ~~ Have to admit I am a little disappointed in this book. I ended up skimming much more than I expected. Of course in any anthology there are pieces that don't capture a reader's interest, but I was not prepared for quite so many here, and I am really not certain why I could not get more enthused about the editor's choices.
The first 100 pages were great, but somehow after Hemingway's story The Capital Of The World, I began having trouble getting into the rest of the selections. Some were excerpts from novels I have read, others were a bit annoying (all those diplomats who shared their thoughts about seeing a bullfight for the first time) and others just felt too dull in the first paragraphs, leaving me skimming through the majority of the book.
There was some amazing poetry, though, and nice illustrations. And the book itself is lovely. My copy has a dust jacket with a Tom Lea painting of a very impressively posed bull, and the actual front cover of the book has the same painting on it. I love details like that.
What I worried about while I read was that the spine of my edition is shot, that beautiful front cover is hanging on by a very small layer of threads. I was nervous about any creak the book made, and was never as comfortable holding it as I should have been. Maybe that sensation of the book's fragility affected me, who knows.
I will be keeping the book, though. Maybe someday I can carefully return to it and try harder to make it a more complete read.
The first 100 pages were great, but somehow after Hemingway's story The Capital Of The World, I began having trouble getting into the rest of the selections. Some were excerpts from novels I have read, others were a bit annoying (all those diplomats who shared their thoughts about seeing a bullfight for the first time) and others just felt too dull in the first paragraphs, leaving me skimming through the majority of the book.
There was some amazing poetry, though, and nice illustrations. And the book itself is lovely. My copy has a dust jacket with a Tom Lea painting of a very impressively posed bull, and the actual front cover of the book has the same painting on it. I love details like that.
What I worried about while I read was that the spine of my edition is shot, that beautiful front cover is hanging on by a very small layer of threads. I was nervous about any creak the book made, and was never as comfortable holding it as I should have been. Maybe that sensation of the book's fragility affected me, who knows.
I will be keeping the book, though. Maybe someday I can carefully return to it and try harder to make it a more complete read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review