This is a wonderful book, a true and rare treasure, full of hunger and appetite, joy and toil. Books like this are sometimes called "a labor of love", which is somewhat of a cliche, but this book is brimfull of all the labor and love that goes into gathering, harvesting, preserving and cooking food grown for its own sake. Here, food is not a commodity to be bought and sold but a mainstay of life, a vital ingredient for happiness, a celebration of simple and good - but hard - life. The book would be valuable enough if that was all but there are also so many delightful recipes, so many wonderful anecdotes and descriptions, so much interesting autobiographical material. I've seen someone compare Honey from a Weed to Frances Mayers tedious Tuscanny books but don't let that mislead you; this is a very different book, written with immense sensitivity and hard-earned knowledge of the land the author has cultivated and the people she lived with and learned from.

I first read Ms. Gray's book looking for a specific recipe, how was I to know it was not just a 'cookbook', but a charming look at life? Ms. Gray's stories about life among the stonecutters, peasants and artists of Greece and Italy was a delight to read. I'm buying extra copies to pass them around to cooks and non-cooks alike, anyone who needs to see firsthand that living well, often on a shoestring, can be the best revenge. Wonderful illustrations, simple recipes for soul-satisfying food...and one woman's recipe for a simpler life. If this doesn't make you long to quit the 'day job' and run off to live on grilled sardines and fresh tomatoes in Tuscany or Naxos, call Tech Support, you've got some wires disconnected.

The Pyrenees boundary between France and Spain began in 1659 as a pretty arbitrary line, but over the course of the next two centuries it was worked out as a national border locally. Sahlins studied the Cerdanya, a valley in the Pyrenees split between France and Spain, and shows how localism formed national identities that were necessary for delineating the boundary.

According to Sahlins, the changes that took place to form the France/Spain boundary were not only a formation of national identity, but also a change in the governments' views of sovereignty, moving from an idea of jurisdiction and dominion over subjects, to territorial control. He shows how policy in the Cerdanya reflected this change from jurisdiction to territory, the change from frontier land to a true boundary.

Sahlins' book is a fascinating look at what makes a nation, and a microcosmic study of the formation of the modern nation-state. His study of the Cerdanya gives the book insights, not just into governmental state-building, but also the construction of identity, the necessity of boundaries for people to define themselves in opposition to the other.

Es dificil encontrar una vision de la Guerra Civil Española que sea objetiva. Este libro de Orwell cuenta su experiencia como voluntario de las Brigadas Internacionales.

Como revolucionario se alistó para defender al mundo democrático del avance fascista. Pero la Guerra no era para idealistas y las profundas divisiones en el Frente Republicano lo decepcionaron, por lo que volvió a Inglaterra tras ser herido en batalla.

Es una lectura obligada para los admiradores de Orwell. Su relato de la Guerra Civil Española es fundamental para interesados en la historia.

Whatever you think of Orwell and his two most famous works, 1984 and Animal Farm can be set aside when reading "Homage to Catalonia". The book's most valuable asset is that it lends credibility to Orwell's rather strong political views that are so eloquently expressed in his other works. It is one thing to rail against Communism or Totalitarianism, it's another thing entirely to pick up a gun and do something about it at great risk to life and limb. The book in and of itself is not a great book. It is a description of a rather banal civil war that at times is pathetic, comical, and as with any war, ultimately sad when taken at face value. That it is a non-fiction account of the author's participation at Catalonia sets it aside from Orwell's other work. It has made a few top 100 lists, however, I struggled to find a justification for such a lofty ranking. If you are a fan of Orwell, Huxley, etc or are a fan of European history then this book will appeal. Absent such a range of interests, the (potential) reader is probably better off searching elsewhere for an engrossing novel. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book to the extent that it allows for a much deeper perspective on Orwell and his philosphies.

George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is an amazing look at the Spanish Civil War from one of its participants written within six months of the incidents described. This is an important book for historians of the period as well as an important piece of writing for those who love the fiction and ideas of Orwell as one can easily see their development through his experiences in Spain. The sections on the fighting in Barcelona between the Anarchists and the Communists (instead of against their true enemy, the Fascicts) as well as the subsequent suppression of the POUM are among the most riveting. He is always clear about his personal biases and he is not writing as an historian but as an observer who has been betrayed yet is still hopeful. The flashes of humour are among the many surprises in this very personal account of the devastation of a country and the growth of a writer.

I actually wrote this an extra credit book report:
A Homage to Homage to Catalonia
Homage to Catalonia is an account of Orwell's personal story of his experience in the Spanish Civil War and some reflections on the complex political situations involved. He wrote it in 1938 (I think so; the introduction didn't bother to mention when it was actually written as its author was obviously not a historian), only months after his experience. The reader is put the exciting situation of Europe before World War II. The fact he was writing about contemporary subjects makes it all the more interesting, because he did not have the advantage of knowing what was going to happen next making his opinions of what should be done more valid.
I started reading the book thinking it was going to be about Orwell's disillusionment with Stalinist Russia. If he ever did admire the USSR, he does not admit to it. He does however admit to only joining the POUM because that was the first group he found, though I do not believe he would have ever joined what he referred to as a right-wing Socialist group (though he was tempted at one point, as it was the only way to get to Madrid). It is certain he was disillusioned by several other things. The degree to which USSR-backed groups were not revolutionary, but only wished to perpetuate the "bourgeoisie democracy" I think did surprise them. He thought that this antirevolutionary policy may have been detrimental to anti-Franco cause, because, for example, it meant the Moors of Morocco could not be effectively allied with. This policy was similar to the USSR insisting the Chinese Communists allied with the moderates long after this made sense, though there they had the excuse that unindustrialized China was not ready for a revolution. One thing Orwell was certainly disillusioned about was journalism, due to the coverage of the Spanish Civil War and its disparity with what he was witnessing. On both sides he found simplifications and outright lies.
Orwell obviously cannot be fully objective about the topic. However, he is a journalist and does try. Orwell sums up this possibly downfall fairly well in saying "... beware of my partisanship, my mistakes of fact and the distortion inevitably caused by my having seen only one corner of events." His politics can be described as Marxist. He thought that a revolution was the only way to help the proletariat; it could not happen within the constraints of democracy. Outside of some the political commentary, the book is in fact a primary document and in this respect it is good to read regardless of his subjectivity, as his opinions are valuable in their own right.
I traveled to Spain a few years ago and found I agreed with his reflections on Spanish culture. He pointed out from time to time things in "typical Spanish fashion." Orwell noted how laid-back the Spanish are, the word incompetent could almost be used. For instance, it was often a hassle to pay the bill at a restaurant. It is like they did not want our money. I had attributed this as a reaction to Fascism, though it apparently predated it. In one of his few optimistic statements, he predicted Fascism would not be as bad as in Italy and Germany because of the inefficiency of the Spanish culture; they would just not be able to pull it off. From the little I know of the following decades, this was more or less bore out.
Homage to Catalonia remains an excellent read to anyone interested into this facet of the Spanish Civil War or Stalinist foreign policy in general. It gives a first person account of the soldier's view of the war; I think a fairly average one. Most accounts of war seem to be by people who take down their story because something unique happened to them. Orwell was probably planning to write a book regardless. So Orwell complains much more about boredom then he does carnage, as he was stationed where both he and the Fascists did not have enough firepower to go on the offensive.

As the only English language guide I know to restaurants in Barcelona and Cataluña, this is a worthwhile book. There are accurate reviews of most, but not all, of Barcelona's best restaurants and some intelligent suggestions about off-the-beaten track places to visit. After living 18 months in Barcelona, I've visited about 25 of his recommendations and agree 80 ith his conclusions. Book dates quickly as the Barcelona restaurant scene is extremely fast moving and quality restaurants like Muffins, Targa Florio and Barceloneta are missing. You might find the style a little grating too, especially the references to the "lovely" girlfriend. But it's helpful as the Spanish language guides tend to review like Michelin, giving too much credit for tradition and not enough for modern ideas and a willingness to take risks. If you have to spend more than 10 days in Barcelona and have the opportunity to eat out several times, this book is a good investment.

Even if you don't go to Barcelona, you'll enjoy reading about the great meals that Craig Allen and his friends had. I used it as a guide in May 1996, and I found his reviews to be right on. You get much more of a sense of what the food and ambiance is like from this book than from any of the usual travel guides.

Keating persuasively makes the case that new nationalisms in the developed West are not ethnic & exclusive but civic & inclusive. Too often secessionist movements are tagged with an "ethnic" or even "racial" label; in the U.S. secessionism also has connotations of violence. Yet these perceptions could not be farther from reality: today's secessionist movements are for the most part peaceful & democratic.

Yet Keating shrinks from labelling the nationalists of Quebec, Scotland, and Catalonia "secessionists," though in fact they really are. I suspect this timidity has to do with a theoretical flaw in this work. Keating's left-wing politics (he is a Labour Party activist in Britain) blind him to the dynamics underlying the new secessionist movements. He is sympathetic to minority nationalism but wishes to maintain that they are "hostile to business" and therefore do not really want to secede, because doing so would increase inter-state competition for capital and promote a regime of lower taxation and regulation. But these movements do want to secede: the only exception might be Catalonia, where the ERC supports secession, but the dominant CiU supports only a "right to independence," one that they do not wish to exercise just yet. Accordingly, secessionist movements are faced with a tension between their left-wing politics and the consequences of their institutional proposals. As a result, we see a rise in liberal or libertarian secessionist movements, like the Lega Nord in Italy and the Action Democratique Quebecois in Quebec. Even the SNP in Scotland is moving tentatively toward the free market.

'Nations Against the State' is undoubtedly the best book I have read on the subject of new nationalism. I am doing a research paper on nationalism in Catalonia, Scotland and Quebec. You can imagine my surprise when I found this book on that exact topic. I felt as if I must be dreaming. On a more serious note, this book provides a sound basis for research into the subject of nationalism. Keating's argument that it has taken on a more civic rather than ethnic outlook is clearly presented in each case study. Overall, the book rates a ten with a clear portrayal and outline of each country's growing nationalism. I recommend 'Nations Against the State' to anyone interested in nationalism as a driving force in the modern political world.

This guide is not up to the usual D-K standard. I like to take pictures for photo.net when I travel and it is very helpful to have the little sample photos of destinations so that one can decide whether or not to invest the time.

But D-K Barcelona is very skimpy on details and also on tourist attractions and facilities as soon as you venture out of the Old City.

For authoritative restaurant and hotel recommendations, go with Michelin Red. For architecture and art history, get the Blue Guide. For nightlife, try the TimeOut guide. Overall, people say that the Rough Guide is very good.

Whatever guidebook you choose, watch your belongings in Barcelona. Pickpocketing is an industry there, esp. in the Old City and on La Rambla. Women should not carry purses. Men should keep money in a money belt or zippered inner jacket pocket. Limit yourself to one camera that you can keep in your hands at all times.

This is a great book for any newcomer to the beautiful city of Barcelona. The images pull you in, and the background history on the Barcelona area is well done. My only gripe is that the "rest of Catalonia" section is quite small for all that's out there! If you're spending a few days in Barcelona, this is the book to buy. If you plan to spend most of your time in the surrounding region, or in the Balearic islands, I'd skip it.

.
Great Travel Guide, Beautiful Coffee Table Book!

Summary:
Every Dorling Kindersley Guide has been a great and interesting book... and delightful to have and use, even if you are not traveling to that location, but are only interested in learning more!

The Guides are well organized in a logical and easy to follow manner. They are beautifully illustrated, well developed with accurate information (it is unusual for hotel and restaurant information to be that accurate), have enough history to help the reader understand the people and cultural background, and have a lot of useful travel information and useable maps in the appendixes.

The really great attraction to this book is several fold; it is:
............Very complete
............Easy to read
............Beautifully and artistically completed
............Good shopping, safety and other tips
............Gorgeous photographs too numerous to list.

Specifics:
The guides are organized as follows:

How to use this guide
Introduction to Historical and Geographical information
Geographical Regions
............Introduction Barcelona and Catalonia
........................Intro to Barcelona / Catalonia
........................Portrait of Catalonia
........................Catalonia Through the Year (events, holidays)
........................History of Catalonia

............Barcelona Area by Area, each section includes:
........................Introduction to street by street area

........................Detailed pictorials of area buildings
........................Architectural drawings, pictures, cut-aways of buildings
........................Specific stops, historical monuments, churches, buildings, etc.

........................Barcelona At a Glance
........................Old Town
........................Eixample
........................Monjuic
........................Further Afield

............Catalonia Area by Area
........................Llieda, Andorra, Girona, Barcelona Province, Tarragona

Travelers Needs - includes full list with rankings and notes
............Hotels
............Restaurants, cafes, bars
............Shopping
............Entertainment
............Outdoor activities

Survival Information
............Practical
........................Tourist info., Etiquete, Personal Security and Health
........................Currencies, Telephones, misc info.
............Travel Information (Getting to Barcelona )

............Street Maps (Getting Around Barcelona )

............General Index
............Catalan Phrase Book
............Barcelona Metro and Train Routes (Maps)

Discussion:
The book begins with "Introducing Barcelona", including a complete map, a review, the city's history, and Barcelona thought the Year - including events, etc.

Areas with an "At a glance" overview, then has subsections of specific blocks, or forums, then specific locations, churches, historical monuments, bridges, galleries, etc.

Architectural reviews include various views, and cutaways; given greater understanding and better perspective. They are all attractive, if not works of art - honestly.

The travelers' Info. offers good and valid info. on prices, currencies, customs, important words, etc. I have used the reviews on hotel's restaurants and nightclubs, in most European cities, and Dorling has yet to disappoint me. I have found they were useful and accurate, and helpful with my touring and site decisions.

The books are so well thought-out that it has multiple maps, with various lookup tables, and the book's flaps are designed to be used as bookmarks for map pages.

Traveling to Barcelona Specifically:
Do it! I have never been disappointed with Barcelona, its people, its food, or anything at all. It is definitely one of the better European cities to visit, or spend time in. Also, just south of Barcelona is a little town called "Sitges" which is an absolute Mediterranean gem! Gorgeous, friendly, beautiful beaches, and very comfortable to simple visit and relax in!

Conclusion:
Each book in this series is a great help, and beautiful collectible resource. As the President, CEO of an International Meeting Planning Corporation we have many resources and techniques to learn about places we have meetings / groups at as well as the cities and sights. But, as a traveler, this book really is top notch and I would recommend it to anyone going on a personal trip, or wanting to learn about a city, or location. We have used some of these books to augment our research to investigate cities for our groups.

This was one of the most boring dully written books that I have ever read. While the events are not without interest; the change over 3 seasons of a village in Spain from being almost medievally backward to one being transformed by the onset of tourism, the characters are flat and unbelievable. Maybe if you like fishing it would appeal but otherwise I would steer clear. Sorry to be so negative

describes a lost world--a tiny village on the Spanish Mediterranean coast subsisting on fishing and the harvesting of cork. The book is simple and evocative. The reader creates the tragedy himself or herself with the certain knowledge that Lewis is detailing a world, and way of life, that have now ceased to exist.

Anyone who has read anything by Norman Lewis knows that he is unquestionably the world's greatest living travel writer and one of the best who ever lived. I have read everything he has written and this is my favourite. It combines stylish simplicity and poetic resonance to create a haunting evocation of a lost time and place. A masterpiece.

Outside of Catalonia and Spain, Antoni Gaudi i Cornet is mythologised as a sort of mad genius . The man, like his work is appreciated, but completely misunderstood. Gils van Hensbergen's intention is to present Gaudi to us in the Catalan nationalist context which formed him and his buildings. Yes, an understanding of Catalanism with its piety, spiritualism, chauvinist patriotism and family values is helpful to understanding Gaudi's life, but not essential to appreciating his work. Antoni Gaudi was a genius. Works of genius communicate themselves. That is all you really need to know admire and love Gaudi's designs.

As pure as Hensbergen's intentions are, the book is a failure. Poorly written, haphazardly organized and indifferently edited, Gaudi is painful to read and does very little to improve ones understanding of the subject. To learn about the Barcelona of those days, its politics and players and how they influenced the architect, read Robert Hughes' Barcelona: a magnificent book by a master non-fiction stylist.

Gaudi: A Biography is also inadequate in the descriptions of the projects and the buildings. Hensbegen never clarifies what happened at Poblet; how Gaudi worked and what his studio was like; that the model for Colonia Guell was for an entire church, not just a crypt; and most importantly how did Gaudi view space? Hensbergen never discusses Gaudi's mature interiors. He treats the designer solely as a sculptor--a former of symbols--not as a creator of spaces.

I was confused as often by the imperfectly written sentences as by the badly explained ideas. The chronology is a muddle. Dates are even mistyped. Names pile up without clear explanation of who they are or why they are being mentioned. And the endnotes...! They are confounding digressions which clarify nothing.Without beauty, rationality and solid construction, this book is wholely unworthy of its subject.

I agree with most of what the reader from Buffalo says about this book: "Poorly written, haphazardly organized and indifferently edited, Gaudi is painful to read and does very little to improve ones understanding of the subject."

The book IS painful to read, if you love the English language. On the other hand, if you are able to laugh about bad writing, there are quite a few chuckles in the book. For example, van Hensbergen tells us about Graner's demon automaton in his cinema threatening customers with death, and comments: "This was rounded off by realising, after queuing patiently for one of the two ticket booths, that the usher was a dummy." I love the shift from the passive "was rounded off," which points to Graner's plan, to the ticket-buyer's active-voice subjectivity in "realising." Grammatically, of course, it's garbage. Imagistically, though, it's a kind of inspired madness not unlike the idea of a demon automaton itself.

Van Hensbergen's inadequate command of English grammar provides a constant source of humor. "This was the first time a nation - Catalonia - had connected into the history of a much wider Western culture." He means, of course, that it was the first time Catalonia had connected with that history, a broad but at least defensible claim; but of course what he says is that it was the first time a NATION had done so, which is just plain funny.

Here's another one that I love: "Built up in the Colserolla foothills on the slopes of Mont Tibidabo, Gaudi looked to the mediaeval Christian fort and the Moorish fortified hisn complex of Al-Andalus for his inspiration." I KNEW Gaudi wasn't born, but fashioned out of pipe cleaners and lizard scales, up on the slopes of Tibidabo! Van Hensbergen apparently believes that it's enough to mention the actual referent of "built" in the previous sentence: Bellesguard.

But my all-time favorite comes in the third line of the book: "Gaudi, Barcelona and Catalonia were, and still are, eternally intertwined." For sheer malapropist grace, that one is hard to beat. He means "integrally intertwined," of course. He just doesn't care enough about words to notice that "eternally" and "were, and still are" are mutually exclusive. But look at the economy of that oxymoron! The verbs give us the localized temporal reference, which is contradicted by the universalized adverb. And look at the cumulative effect of the verbs: WERE (and are no longer), and STILL ARE (for a while). He could have written "have always been eternally intertwined," but he didn't. It would have been much less powerful that way. The book isn't just badly written. Here and there it reveals a ubiquitous FLAIR for bad writing. (See, I tried to replicate van Hensbergen's oxymoron with spatial reference, and didn't do it nearly as well!)

The fair thing to say about van Hensbergen's atrocious writing is that he's Dutch, so give him a break. YOU try and write a book in a foreign language, Mr. Reader from Buffalo, see how far YOU get! The real culprits here are the editorial staff at HarperCollins. This isn't exactly a fly-by-night publishing operation. They should hire copyeditors to fix the kind of absurdities van Hensbergen's book is full of. But they're so busy saving money that they don't care. The book reads like van Hensbergen's first draft -- as if nobody else ever looked at it before it was typeset.

Still, I have to disagree with the reader from Buffalo on the book's ultimate value. True, we need more books on Gaudi. But this one is still useful, especially for someone like me who is planning a novel on Gaudi. Every other book available on Gaudi in English is 200 color plates and a brief and fairly pious biography; van Hensbergen has done an enormous amount of research into Gaudi's LIFE. And yes, you have to laugh or grit your teeth at the bad English, but it is pure unadulterated Romantic genius-worship to claim with the Buffalo reader that "an understanding of Catalanism with its piety, spiritualism, chauvinist patriotism and family values," while "helpful to understanding Gaudi's life," is "not essential to appreciating his work. Antoni Gaudi was a genius. Works of genius communicate themselves. That is all you really need to know admire and love Gaudi's designs."

If you are determined to treat Gaudi as an untouchable genius whose life is irrelevant to his work, don't read this book. If you kind of enjoy discovering that artistic geniuses are actually human, and fallible, and not a little neurotic, and if you aren't too fastidious with the English language, it's well worth the read.

My title is a quote from Gaudi himself and it is only something a genius could say. Like Bach claiming his work was 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration. What clearly comes through in this book is that Gaudi was an extraordinary man - a creator of unique structures and visions.

I have always felt a fascination with things that seem to have some unexpected, almost alien, aspect to them. In architecture this includes the temples at Angkor and the Hindu temples of India; are these the works of humankind? So it is with Gaudi. Where are the precursors? Where are the followers? Perhaps there are no followers because what he did was so exceptional no-one dares takes the same path. And then there is the man Gaudi as described in this book - he is no less alien; banishing intimacy with women from his life, being absorbed in catholicism, following a rigorous vegetarian diet. I didn't want speculation - I hate that in biographies - but I would have liked more information. For example, why was Gaudi a vegetarian - was it a religious tenet he was following, was it a moral one, was it health-driven?

Other reviewers have been disturbed by Mr Hensbergens command of the English language. This did not offend me. Perhaps the paperback version I am reviewing had been further edited. But I did find the book slow to capture my attention. Perhaps it was Gaudi and not the prose that finally engaged me - but engaged I was. Another feature that initially annoyed me was the placing of the four sections of illustrations. It seemed to me that I was forever hunting for an illustration for the text I was reading. But by the end of the biography this didn't offend me at all; in fact I grew to love hunting back and forth through the illustrations because as I did so I grew to know Gaudi's architecture better and better.

Freedom for Catalonia? by John Hargreaves is an interesting study on the Barcelona Olympics and their effect on Catalan nationalism and the Spanish central authorities. Both the Catalans and the Spanish attempted to use the Games as a tool to further their own goals.
Much of the early part of the book is the background necessary to understand the discussion through out the rest. Hargreaves discusses the importance of national identity to the people of Catalonia. We learn that their nationalism tends to be inclusive rather than exclusive, an important principal in the outcome of the games. Although well written, the language in this section is overly academic and difficult for the average college student to grasp.
Hargreaves describes the rival factions vying for control of the content of the games. There are attempts by the nationalists to put as much Catalanism into the Games as possible, by whatever means they can. It is not until the last minute that the content is decided upon. The compromise the sides work out, the paz olimpica, results in a balance where both side benefit. In the end, the Olympics are a triumph for Catalan culture, with out diminishing the prestige of Spain.

Freedom for Catalonia? by John Hargreaves is an interesting study on the Barcelona Olympics and their effect on Catalan nationalism and the Spanish central authorities. Both the Catalans and the Spanish attempted to use the Games as a tool to further their own goals.
Much of the early part of the book is the background necessary to understand the discussion through out the rest. Hargreaves discusses the importance of national identity to the people of Catalonia. We learn that their nationalism tends to be inclusive rather than exclusive, an important principal in the outcome of the games. Although well written, the language in this section is overly academic and difficult for the average college student to grasp.
Hargreaves describes the rival factions vying for control of the content of the games. There are attempts by the nationalists to put as much Catalanism into the Games as possible, by whatever means they can. It is not until the last minute that the content is decided upon. The compromise the sides work out, the paz olimpica, results in a balance where both side benefit. In the end, the Olympics are a triumph for Catalan culture, with out diminishing the prestige of Spain.

In his book, Freedom for Catalonia, John Hargreaves analyzes the extent to which the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games affected the political, economic, and social relationships between Catalonia and Spain, and the mutual effects that the Games had on the Catalonian and Spanish identities. Hargreaves presents, for the most part, a well thought out argument with a distinctive investigation of the relationship between sport and nationalism. He discusses his own conceptualization of sport as an important entity in both the political and cultural realm, in addition to his intricate notion of ethnic and civic nationalism. These explanations, along with an in depth look at Spanish and Catalonian historical and cultural ties, provide the extensive background necessary to fully appreciate the influence of the Barcelona Olympics on Catalonian nationalism and Spanish identity.
Hargreaves provides a detailed account, based on his personal experience at the Barcelona Olympics, of the two organizing committees' attempts to Catalonize and Espanolize the Games. He explains the important controversies centered around certain Olympic rituals, like the opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. He considers the tensions between the Spanish nationalists, the Catalan nationalists, and the various Catalan Left-wing activist groups that arose from the debate over what role the Catalan flag should play in the games, what languages should be sanctioned, and what type of patriotic music should be played. Hargreaves also discusses, aside from the central concern of the text, to what extent the 1992 Games were Americanized, Europeanized, and globalized.
In conclusion Hargreaves explains how Spanish organizing committee's eventual concession to allow the Games to be Catalonized affected the sense of Catalan nationalism and Spanish identity. He investigates the immediate and lasting effects of the Games on the Catalonian and Spanish people through a rather monotonous series of tables and charts. For the most part, Hargreaves presents an interesting exploration of the affects that the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games had on the insurgence Catalan nationalism and the relationship between Catalonia and Spain.