Taking his invencible "Armada" all over the world, making war with England, France, the Netherlands, the arabs, son of Charles V, married four times, putting his son in prision etc. Philippe II its the most powerfull king that has ever exsisted, he took his holy war all over Europe to put his "order". I loved this book and i really recommended to everybody, its just great, Cloulas takes us to those years with a great description of the events, 10 stars instead of five.

I like this book. It was very good. I loved its stylistic way of flowing through subject to subject. Its interwoven drama and spirit made it a fun read and an inspiring epic. This is a must read for any physics junkie and for all those just getting interested.

It's been a while since I've read this book, but it still lingers. Selby, a middle-aged woman biking alone through the Pyrenees and across Spain to Santiago de Compostela, is full of wit, great stories, and endless energy (how she kept peddling after quaffing a bit of the free vino offered to pilgrims itself is amazing). It inspires an amateur bicyclist like me to pedal a few extra miles whenever I envision her journey. Even if you are not a bike enthusiast, you'll love her tales of the people she meets, the tiny towns she travels through, and the sense of triumph she feels upon reaching her destination

Kenneth Maxwell has given us one of the few available studies in english of one of the giants of the XVIII century, and it is worth every penny. An attractively bound book with both black and white and colour plates it is a valueable and beautiful reference. Maxwell's style is both scholarly and readable. Often forgotten, the dreaded Marques de Pombal was Portugal's Richelieu. A man to be feared and obeyed. Yet he was responceable for the increadable recovery of Lisbon in the wake of the cataclysmic earthquake of 1755. Lisbon, one of the great cities of the world was almost anihilated in less than a hour, and Portugal's very existence threatened. Pomabal's responce was brilliance itself; swift, courageous, and humane. While he did not utter the famous "let us bury the dead and care for the living" he was the man to put the sentiment into practise. He was also a ruthless and dangerous man. Any enemy of the state, real or imagined he viewed as a contagion, either to be cured or if not, eradicated. He was responsable for the most sweeping positive reforms Portugal had seen in centuries, and of gruesome excesses in the name of "the State". Towards the Jesuits, whom should have been his natural allies, he harboured only suspicion and hatred. Culminatting finally in an open attack upon them which would lead to their expulsion and eventual suppresion, a tragic loss for europe as a whole. While I still regard Pombal in an essentially negative way, a brilliant and inspired monster, but a monster nonetheless, this book helped me see the old devil in a new light, and to appreciate his devotion to his nation and countrymen. So, sip a glass of port, relax and meet the Marques.

Port And The Douro is the fascinating story of Port over the centuries and surveys the remarkable physical conditions of the wine growing region of Portugal, the grape varieties, and the vineyards that make the Douro valley so special. Richard Mayson draws upon his many years of experience in the wine trade in general and his remarkable expertise in Port wines and how they are made. Port And The Douro is definitive, comprehensive, informative, articulate, and greatly rewarding reading for connoisseurs, dealers, and the nonspecialist general reader seeking to select just the right Port for the occasion.

to enjoy this terrific travel guide. The pictures and descriptions are wonderful enough. Now I can't wait to go.

This is indeed a very interesting book that provides an overview of Portuguese army organisation and uniforms during the campaigns against Napoleon's armies in the Peninsula.

The Portuguese army was an essential element that enabled the forces led by the future Duke of Wellington to defeat the french invading armies.

The books has, however some minor mistakes, when the authors mention the names of some portuguese units, they write some names in Spanish. This must be corrected in the next editions and I hope that these mistakes do not appear on the third volume.

Nevertheless it is a very good book.

Published about a decade back, the book represented a much needed contribution (in a book-form) to readers of the Portuguese empire. The last major book on the area appeared roughly three decades back -Diffie & Winius' Foundations of the Portuguese Empire. From the professional historian point of view, it is not that the field is stagnant; articles have continued to appear in specialist journals. Unriddled with footnotes (though references were included where merited), this work is ideal for the layman who wishes to gain an insight into the early modern world of which the Portuguese empire was spawned. Of great help in this sense is also the glossary at the end of the book.

The main thrust of the book approached the history of the Portuguese empire from a serious attempt to understand the Asian world in its context and transformation. Hitherto, similar histories were more eurocentric and still is in certain quarters. Nor does it look at the empire in isolation from developments at home, a chapter was devoted to the Portuguese state and society (chapter 2) in which Subramanyam humbly asked for forgiveness for its presumptousness (being written by a non-native). The book was also holistic in the sense that it not only provides a flowing chronological narrative and analysis; but includes a static examination of the Portuguese colonial society in Asia

Creating an Empire-Chapter 3
The Crisis-Chapter 4
Reorientations-Chapter 5
Empire in Retreat-Chapter 6
Staying On -Chapter 7

The Portuguese Asian Society -Official RealmChapter 8
The Portuguese Asian Society -The FrontierChapter 9

In the end, as Subramanyam's concluding chapter illustrates, history is about perspectives and far from dead. Seen from the Portuguese viewpoint, the empire might be "trapped" into decline, explained traditionally by corruption etc (undeniably though). Viewed from a background of transformation and geopolitics, the Portuguese empire was actually evolving whilst interacting with its surrounding. Whether the Europeans were bandits or nascent capitalists, this remains for the readers to discern themselves

This perceptive volume (1992) is one of the finest all-round books about the Portuguese people, and a first-rate travel-companion. Ranging knowledgeably from literature to the Church, from agriculture to emigrantes, its sympathetic feminine perspective seems appropriate for a country whose men so often seem to be abroad. Usefully updated in 1998.

Rarely have books of the nature of "Museum Collection" catalogues been so lavishly produced as THE PRADO MUSEUM published by Abrams in 1997. The sheer size of this tome and the expense have probably put off some art lovers, but this is not a book to let slip into obscurity. The organiztion of the book matches the layout of the museum: artists are treated to individual sections where there works can be most appreciated like the condensed spaces of adjoining rooms in the museum itself and each is treated by essayists who know the works and thankfully know how to write!
The reproductions are first class, the number of color plates is astonishing. For those who have not had the privilege of visiting the Prado Musuem there will be many surprises. For those who know the art of Spain already, there will be embellishments that are enriching to the eye and the mind. And for those who know the Museum, this book is a must for memory reference. A brilliantly produced Magnum Opus.