Travels Through the Spanish Civil War

by Nick Lloyd

The Spanish Civil War was one of the twentieth century’s most momentous conflicts. 

Nick Lloyd explores its causes and consequences through various road trips across Spain and into the rest of Europe. Setting off from Barcelona, he journeys around Catalonia and Aragón, among the last regions to fall to Franco. Visiting battle sites, museums, memorials and more, he reveals how the scars of violence still criss-cross Spain’s rural and urban landscapes. Along the way, he encounters historians, writers and descendants of Republican fighters, who bring to life the experiences of combatants and civilians alike. He tells the story of Francesc Boix, a photographer born metres from the author’s home, whose short but eventful life took him from the Catalan front to the Nuremberg witness box. In Huesca, he meets a dogged journalist working to unearth local history, while amid the rubble of Belchite, he describes the brutal street combat that destroyed the town. And on the Franco-Spanish border, he traces the journey of the refugees who fled fascism, only to be incarcerated in French concentration camps.

As debates over ‘historical memory’ reopen deep rifts in Spanish society, Lloyd powerfully chronicles how war is remembered—or not—in Spain and beyond.

Genres: History, Spanish Civil War

352 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2026

About the author

One of Britain’s new generation of military historians, Nick Lloyd is a Professor of Modern Warfare at King’s College London and the author of four books on World War I, including The Western Front, Hundred Days, and Passchendaele. He lives in Cheltenham, England.

Reviews

[Jake]

A very thoughtful and much enjoyed Christmas present. Nick is clearly incredibly knowledgeable about the topic and adds to that base with wonderful insights from other historians, archivists and people he has met during his life in Barcelona. Taking a chunk out of a subject like this and making it coherent is never straightforward but I thought it was very well done in this instance, with a good balance of context, overview and individuals stories.

[Tom Nicolson]

What a fantastic read! Am I biased? Absolutely.

But seriously, Nick has written a truly brilliant book on the SCW here. Firstly I want to talk about form and why I appreciated that. It's wonderfully conversational in its written form and that for me makes it incredibly readable. It's paced brilliantly. Chapters are punchy but with bags of meaning. There is feeling and emotion but also (clearly) paintstaking hours of research behind the text. It reads very well, as a compelling blend of personal travel guide and rigorous historical text.

Content wise it's great too. Lots of inclusion of women's history - far too often erased - particularly in conflict studies.

I also loved how Spain's ecosystem and wildlife was woven in.

I'm a slow reader, but I flew through this. My one regret - not asking Nick to sign it when I had the chance. He's a brilliant guy who does an awesome Spanish Civil War tour through Barcelona.

[Darren H]

A truly brilliant, thought provoking, wonderful piece of work from a gifted writer. I have followed Nick on Twitter/X for many years and I have always admired his work. This is the first book of his that I've read. The book is superbly written, genuinely thought provoking and heartbreakingly sad in places. The book addresses a very serious subject matter and part of history in a very sensitive and empathetic way. The author also pulls no punches in addressing such a serious subject matter and part of history, the impact it had and continues to have on Spain and indeed worldwide to this day. This is a very important book, brilliantly written by a very talented writer.

[George Watson]

Great book that combines history with a travel narrative. Personal tragedies linked to the places Lloyd travels to as he goes, and great links made both to present conflicts and the wider geopolitics of the 1930s.

[Daniel Xiberras]

Good stuff. Always forget how many acronyms there were in this conflict. Shout out The Durutti Column.

[Tim Briedis]

One of the best books I’ve ever read on the Spanish Civil War. Simply incredible.