The Story of Spain

by Mark R. Williams

Presents a story of kings and poets, saints and conquistadors, emperors and revolutionaries, as well as the story of Torquemada, Cervantes, Picasso, Franco, Saint Theresa, and of the Alhambra and the Escorial. This title draws together the myriad fragments of Spanish history - from its prehistory right up to the 2008 elections.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Spain, Travel, Spanish Literature, European History, Historical

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

About the author

Mark R. Williams is a freelance writer living near San Francisco. He has also worked as a contributing writer for the International Herald Tribune (Paris) and senior staff writer for Lookout Magazine (Spain). Williams has a Masters degree in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Anna Hiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only positive thing I have to say about this book is that it is accessible to the lay reader, the non-expert, someone who has a burning passion to know more about the basics of Spanish history (but not culture). The author clearly has done his research, and has done a capable job of distilling the major conflicts and trends of Spanish history into an easily digestible product. However, he falls too frequently into an essentialization of Spanish history, saying over and over again that Spain repeats its past mistakes, and that these mistakes simply reincarnate in the form of (yet another) civil war. There is also some lamentable writing that happens in the book, and there is really no attempt to remain objective on the part of the author. The subtitle gives the first clue, about Spain being Europe's "most fascinating country" -- this is just an updated example of the exoticizing of Spain that has been going on since time immemorial.

I am a professor of Spanish Literature, and I would not recommend this book to my students in any way, shape or form. However, I would recommend it to family members who are still trying to figure out why on earth I got a Ph.D. in the humanities. This book, with its "fascinating" portrait of Spain might explain how it is I fell in love with this -- in my opinion -- tortured nation.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘The dramatic history of Europe’s most fascinating country.’

A friend gave me this book some years ago when I was learning (South American) Spanish. I picked it up recently and started reading.

While this book provides an overview of Spanish history and includes ‘Sights and Sites’ at the end of each chapter for those visiting Spain, it is not a comprehensive history. My knowledge of Spanish history is quite limited: I know a bit about the period between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries, and very little about the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Is Spain Europe’s most fascinating country? While I am not convinced, I am interested enough to seek out more reading, especially about both the history of Moorish Spain, and the twentieth century.

A starting point.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Jim Rimmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is about as fast and loose as popular history comes. I’ve had been quite staggered by the difficulty is sourcing an English language general history of Spain, so ended up with Williams' volume.

A number of glaring typos (barely excusable) and historical errors (not least being the confusion regarding Saint James - totally inexcusable). Not a reference anywhere to be found despite some quite staggering assertions.

Easily and quickly digested but unfortunately a little too close to the historical version of instant coffee for my liking. Still searching for Spanish history version of macchiato if anybody has recommendations ...

[Zach Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this 5 stars in terms of fulfilling its overall purpose. I give it 2 stars in terms of enjoyment.

[Joshua Drasin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Other than the book’s obvious pro-Spanish bent (in discussing the inquisition, reconquista, and colonization) I found this book an incredibly comprehensive guide to Spanish history from cavemen to Franco. I do wish the book had a few more maps to help the reader understand/contextualize the readings but I learned a lot.

[Gabriel Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this book was an good book on the history of Spain. It did a fairly decent job at giving a good overview of the country. But I have two problems with the book. The first is how confusing everything got by the Middle Ages with all the different kings, queens and other historical figures. This continues until the end of the book. But that is a minor nitpick. I'm not very familiar with Spanish history, so it is quite forgivable. Still, I think the author could have made it easier to understand for readers. The second main problem is less forgivable. The author seems to have a bias against Christians and towards Muslims when writing about the early development and then movement into Spain. Perhaps the most inaccurate piece of information in the book is that Mithraism somehow influenced early Christianity. He compared the followers of Mithraism killing and bathing in the blood of a bull to the Christian symbol of the sacrificial lamb, despite the fact that the Old Testament has symbolism of the sacrificial lamb throughout. The author was either subscribed to liberal (not Democrat liberal; liberal as in less adherence to facts and evidence) views of history and early Christianity or just plain lazy when he wrote the chapter. He also seems to try to paint Islam in a positive light, and then gives examples of their ruthlessness with little comment. Overall, this was an decent overview of Spain, but it has some problems.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for a trip to Spain (actually I only made it about 2/3 of the way through before I got to Spain, but anyway...), and it was ideal for that purpose. It is a comprehensive overview, which is a lot to ask of 350 pages, so parts of it feel rushed and with the constant turnover of the various incestuous royal dynasties there is considerable name dropping that probably won't stick unless you really, really are determined to remember. That said, I felt like it covered most of the major stuff and this was confirmed by all the tour guides and museum displays, everything I learned and saw fit into context and made sense thanks to the background provided by this book. In particular, there were many cases where Spaniards were talking about Spain and the Spanish government, and it mostly made sense and was amusingly interesting thanks to the context provided here.

[Kyle R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I was visiting Spain with my family, I wanted to have a good consensus on the history of Spain and how it has created the country of Spain today. I read 2/3rds of it before my December trip and learned a lot and then finished the last third after my trip in Jan and Feb. Overall, it was a really detailed and informative book that gives a thorough understanding of the many centuries of largely religious rule of Spain from the Moors to the Catholics. I think it was worth the read before going to visit, though it sometimes did get extremely detailed in some spots that I felt took away from the overall story. There were some really good analysis that I did really enjoy though.

[Dermo · Rating 1 out of 5]

AVOID THIS BOOK
It is badly written, is very judgemental about any person or group that the author feels is 'less than' and is fawning in its praise for (for example) the Romans, the Catholic Monarchs. It propagates negative and unhelpful stereotypes and assumptions of national character. I could not get past it. I love Spain and its people, as I'm sure the author does, but he allows ideology to colour his account and that is unforgivable (if at least following a tradition in Spanish historiography)

[Kerem Ince · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the storyline of the book takes you on a journey, its charts and quick-info pages makes you want to take the book on a journey. It is both a travel and a travel guide. One of the most inspiring history books I have read. It has a great storyline and ability to place events in context, as well as dropping peripheral in-paranthesis information like "Romans only used chariots for sports and not warfare". While reading this book I frequently found myself raising my eyes and meditating - also romanticising, which is impossible not to when reading about Spain.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I bought this book for 1 euro in a second-hand shop, I can't really complain. It is a good & easy read. With 287 pages not a very detailed, but once in a while some nice details are included to make the book enjoyable.
Some simplifications are made, that aren't really wrong, but not entirely correct either - in my opinion. Overall, not a bad book at all.

[Sandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from my aunt. I went through the table of contents…… how was Muslim Spain not in the table of contents? They ruled Spain from 711-1492. This turned me off from reading the book at all.

[Frank White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this before a trip to Spain. The author gives broad coverage of Spanish history in a storytelling style. Readable and memorable. I recommend this for anyone new to Spanish history who’s looking for a solid, enjoyable overview.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting broad overview of the complex history of Spain from prehistoric times up till the early 2000s. Good background to now get corrected by more nuanced historians.

[Saurabh Odak · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise and comprehensive book, however not so easy to read as the reader can easily get lost with the chronology of events and the characters involved.

[Bob]

A short but delightful treatment of Spanish history for tourists. At the end of each chapter is a brief listing of famous sites illustrating the period covered in different cities.
The author gives a great deal of space to etymology (names of places, buildings, rulers' nicknames, even the use of español for the language of Castille. Interesting to me were latin origins of place names: pompaeio -> Pamplona, Caesaraugusta -> Zaragoza, Cartago Nova -> Cartagena, and Barca (Hannibal's family) -> Barcelona.
The history is condensed (there's a lot to cover in 270 pages and the author takes time off to derive placenames, describe cultural monuments and expands his coverage to the colonial experience in the Americas), but the book moves along companionably with a friendly and chatty style:
"It is ironic that Spain's great cultural flowering would occur at precisely the time when the Inquisition had a stranglehold on ntellectual life. One explanation for the paradox is that few important books from Spain were banned, even though the Inquisition had the power to do so. (Many obscure works appeared in its Index.) Nevertheless, the Inquisition continued to meddle in daily life, using spies called familiares to keep an eye out for abnormal behavior. Among their special interests were subversive public discussion, usury (lending money at interest), and sexual misconduct. Rooms at Spanish inns could not be bolted from the inside so that agents could enter at any time to pounce on any unmarried, hence by definition, illicit couples."

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[WIlliam Gerrard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a full history of Spain. It gives a good, full overview of the Spaniards, from prehistory through to the present day. The chapters are neat and easily digestable and each conclude with nice references to museums and locations of interest throughout Spain. I felt the book came into its own when discussing the height of Spanish Royalty. I have read more detailed histories of the Moorish period and also of the Spanish Civil War although the chapters in this book were good summaries of these epochs. The book is fast and flowing, without going into an overload of detail. It is a good compliment to my Hispanic Studies course at Cardiff University.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starting well. I like that the author presents a view of pre-Classical culture.

A decent overview. The author hides his biases mostly until his coverage of the 20th Century, with the minor exception of declaring Spain, "the greatest empire in history". Really? Heard of Rome?

A decent entry into a broad swath of Spanish history.

Spolier Alert:

The summary essentially becomes that Spain is simply another country that becomes cursed by its overwhelming wealth. This seems to have destroyed any initiative in the country to this day.

[David Melvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read only parts of this book, but from the parts that I read I thought the book was very good. It describes the history of a country that has had a lot of influence in the history of the world. The Spanish language and culture is responsible for the first novel ever written in recorded history, as far as we know. The author Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote. I never read it but it might be a hard and difficult read even in English translation. Here is a link about the author @ http://www.biography.com/people/migue...

[Asa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here’s the whole nation reduced to a guided tour with coffee breaks. Romans, Visigoths, Moors—everyone gets two polite paragraphs and a souvenir magnet. Franco strolls past like a difficult uncle we’d rather not discuss. The prose is tidy, the blood discreet, and by the end democracy arrives on schedule like a tour bus that’s never late.

[Susana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have dipped into this book many times over the years. It is am easy read in many ways being very anecdotal and light. However, it has been rerelease and the later editions see to be almost badly copy and pasted. Very disjointed and uneasy to follow if you haven't got a clear understanding of Spain's timeline

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a good short history of Spain to provide context for walking the camino to Santiago de Compostela. This was perfect. Not too long, just enough detail--a good quick overview of Spanish history for background.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite history of Spain. It actually talks about places you can still see today and puts things into great perspective.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very comprehensive book, but can be dry and too detailed at times.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Educational, but very dry. I was hoping for something more enjoyable, something that made me want to keep reading it. With this book, I had to force myself to finish it.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book in Spain six years ago and have finally read it. While very informative, it's not particularly well-written, which was pretty disappointing.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spain is mostly spanish

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you'd ever want (or not) to know about Spain's history.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent basic popular history. It got mostly very good reviews but it didn't make an impression on me.