This book is great because not only are the pictures wonderful, but they were able to get pictures of those things that tourists are not allowed.. A definite must for your coffee table.

This book truly gives a reader the full experience of what makes Spain so beautiful, its art and architecture. Many of these beautiful places in Spain, the traveler is not able to take pictures, so this book captures the beauty of these places in a way that no amateur photographer can imagine being able to. If you want to see Spain in all of its glory, buy this book.

Third in an indispensable series from an indefatigable culture hound with edgy taste and a gift for succinctly mixing facts and opinions. Here's what to do after you have seen Gaudi in Barcelona, Calatrava in Valencia, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao.

In Spain: Contemporary Art + Architecture Handbook, Sidra Stich provides the visitor with a fascinating guide to what the diverse and rich heritage of the country has to offer. Such art and architectural resources as museums, alternative spaces, galleries, public art exhibitions, urban projects, film centers, sculpture parks, bookstores, and art fairs are identified and surveyed. Readers will note where to find work by internationally acclaimed artists, as well as those newly emerging into prominence. The informative and engaging text is enhanced with 150 illustrations, detailed maps and city tour routes, as well as addresses, phone numbers, websites, access hours, and miscellaneous helpful hints. Spain is a welcome and highly recommended addition to any traveler's reference shelf and an ideal resource for crafting that very special art and architecture oriented itinerary.

This amazing book focuses on the relationship between the economic power of Spain's largest financial institutions and the political power of successive Spanish governments. It gives an excellent view of how economic power manages to control the three legal powers of the State in modern European democracies. Definitively a must read!!

This book is a great example of social-science research on the politics of financial reform. Although focused on the Spanish banking sector, it makes comparisons with other European countries, especially France. Easily one of the best political analyses of the power of private banks in emerging economies. Highly recommended for those interested in understanding the forthcoming European Economic and Monetary Union of 1999.

I read this book to all of my kids, but my daughter liked it better than my boys did. It's a corky, cute little tale, about a butterfly who thinks her beloved mouse friend has been eaten by a fish. Out of this comes a story that follows the same format as "There was an old lady who swallowed a Fly." This happened, then this happened, then this, etc. It's a zany little book, especially at the end. It has a happy ending. There are 26 actual pages, not counting the cover page and dedication page. There are 5 pages of full color illustrations included in the 26 pages. The illustrations are bright and lively. It's probably 1st grade level, maybe second. Young children who hear the book several times will be telling this story, I'm sure. I'm also sure they'll want to hear it again.

WHEN YOU OPEN THIS EXTRAORDINARY CHILDREN'S BOOK THE COLORS IN THE BOOK WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY WHAT BEAUTY WHAT LIFE. THE BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY IS A STORY ABOUT LIFE, FRIENDS, AND LOVE, BUT TOLD ON A LEVEL ANY CHILD WOULD UNDERSTAND. I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY FRIENDS NEW BABY GIRL. BUT FIRST I HAD TO READ AND READ AGAIN THIS WONDERFUL BOOK THAT WISHED ME BACK TO CHILDHOOD WHERE ALL DREAMS DO COME TRUE.

I believed the only other reviewer, bought the 6th edition, and am glad I did. My wife and I recently spent 3 weeks in the Northern half of Spain, much of it in regions that aren't covered in the standard guides. This book provided accurate, practical information and much more. With a lovely British sense of humor, it gave an insightful history and background to Spain that added a lot to our enjoyment of the sights we were seeing. I will take it with me the next time I go to Spain.

These two are the world's finest writers when it comes to travel guides. This book is not your average "Visit this site when you are in this city" kind of travel guide. Rather it is a guide filled with history and an understanding of each of Spain's regions that you would never expect to find in a travel guide. I read it before I visited Spain and have read it over and over since I returned.

Simply put, an awesome book. He puts forth the mental anguish and fatigue well through diaries and such sources. He also explains the multiple battles well.

I read this wonderful little book, first published in 1961, in preparation for a forthcoming visit to northwest Spain to follow Sir John Moore's retreat to Corunna. Hibbert is an author for whom I have a great regard and this early work clearly demonstrates not only his sturdy research but also his elegiac and polished prose. In such a short book, long descriptions and deep discussion of tactics are not possible. However, he explains to the reader who may not be familiar with this episode of British military history exactly how the retreat came about whilst sketching the personalities, foibles and strengths of the major characters of the campaign.

The generals such as Moore, Napier, Paget, Craufurd and so on are not the only people we learn about because Hibbert draws on memoirs and other materials written by the junior officers and the enlisted men such as the famous Rifleman Harris of the 95th. There are little vignettes such as the dumping of silver money to lighten the load, high up in the frozen Cantabrian Mountains, women giving birth at the side the road in the mud and rain and the hooves of the horses and mules bleeding as they struggled to haul artillery pieces.

A truly beautiful and unforgettable early book by this brilliant historian. A moving, sad and poignant story which still causes debate today. Very highly recommended

My husband and I and another couple travelled with Kate Ratliffe for a week on the Garonne Canalin her barge, the Julia Hoyt. The book describes both the journey and the wonderful food on board. If you buy the book you'll want to take the trip and if you take the trip you'll want to buy the book! Her 800 number is in the back of the book

I first picked this up at my library, expecting another in the growing genre of "lifestyle fantasy literature" -- you know, bohemian boomer quits rat race, goes abroad, buys quaint house (or boat), creates rustic & soul-satisfying alternative lifestyle and then =tortures= the rest of us by writing a glowing book about it... But now, Ratliffe's work is in a hallowed place on my cookbook shelf between Richard Olney's "Simple French Food" and "Lulu's Provencal Table." Like those books, Ratliffe's takes us deep into the heart (and soul) of a regional French cuisine, through timeless villages and fragrant home kitchens. Even if the book were recipes alone, it would be worth its price for the seasonal simplicity of "asparagus with scallions, mint and green garlic shoots," or "radish leaf soup." But Ten Speed Press has made it a feast for the hand and eye as well, with loving photos of the Garonne canal country and buff paper reminiscent of a sketchbook or travel journal. Few chefs write this well about the daily meditation of cooking, the inspirations, the happy accidents and the patiently learned techniques. Even if you never spend a night on the "Julia Hoyt," by the time you cook your way to "Flan au Floc" for dessert you'll feel you know this land and its people intimately.

Joanne Bogle, writing in "The Catholic Family" (No.38 IV 1998) writes: "This book genuinely deserves the comment, "I couldn't put it down". Combining vivid descriptions with a magnificent plot, interweaving high adventure, intrigue and haunting romance, it is the story of the Jesuit supression in the 18th-century. It describes their magnificent work in South America, stalks spies and politicians through the courts of Europe and shows how decisions and compromises made by leaders of Church and state have effects on the lives of ordinary people. Philip Trower's prose is free of clichés or lavish wording; he has produced a novel that is both readable and with an epic quality. He brings history before our eyes and makes its conversations and tensions echo in our ears and minds. I recommend it particularly for anyone in their late teens or twenties".

Trower's book is a fictional depiction of the historical events surrounding the supression of the Jesuit Order in 1773. When Pope Clement XIV issued the brief decommissioning the Society of Jesus, he wiped out a religious order founded in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola. At the time of its demise, there were almost 23,000 Jesuits in Europe, the Far East, and the Western Hemisphere. The Order had 39 provinces containing 845 educational institutions over 600 of which were secondary schools and colleges all of which were well endowed and tuition free. No wonder the Enlightenment enemies of the Church targeted the Society of Jesus! It was like a formidable intellectual and unsinkable battleship which made short work of silly fools like Diderot and sybaritic fops like Rousseau. The Jesuits had to be swept away in order that the Enlightenment could have a free hand. The results: intellectual confusion and the disintegration of Western civilization -- legacies that still plague us today. The novel is focused around a Spanish noble family, both of whose sons are Jesuits, one a novice in Spain, the other a priest in Paraguay. Trower's story fleshes out the dry historical bones of this little remembered episode in history. He accomplishes it well by sound historical research, masterful character development, and not without intrigue and mystery. The Order eventually was restored in 1814, kept alive in Russia during the interim by Catherine the Great, who recognizing the Jesuits' formidible intellectual and teaching skills, would not allow the papal brief of suppression to be promulgated. Even this episode makes its way into Trower's drama. Ignatius Press does not as a matter of course publish fiction unless it is of the highest quality. Once again Ignatius made a sound editorial decision. the reader will not be disappointed.

I first read Mattingly's book as a grammar school (high-school to readers on the other side of the pond) history student in England in the 1960s, and have been coming back to it regularly ever since for the sheer pleasure of it. My old paperback copy wore out, so my family gave me the hardback version.

The great strength of Mattingly's treatment is that he went far beyond the purely naval aspects of the campaign. He set it squarely in the context of the politico-religious struggle for domination in western Europe, with England and the Dutch Protestants on one side, Spain and all her allies and dependencies on the other, and France paralysed by a ferocious three-cornered internal struggle. He is particularly strong on the events before and after the battle of Coutras which prevented France from either pursuing the ultra-Catholic preferences of the house of Guise (of which Mary Queen of Scots' mother was a member), or the traditional French policy of opposition to the house of Hapsburg, which the Catholic King Henri of Valois and his Protestant heir-apparent Henri of Navarre would both have preferred.

I do nevertheless find two serious gaps in Mattingly's handling of the geopolitical context. The first is the Dutch, who after all had been fighting the war, and suffering the casualties, longer than anyone else except Spain. Mattingly ignores their internal dynamics and skates over the detail of their relationships with England, in both areas doing far less than justice to a key element in the strategic equation. The second gap is the lack of treatment of the Scottish dimension. Scotland, ruled by Mary's son James VI, was the dog that did not bark in the night in 1587-88, and the reasons for that deserve analysis. Yes, after his mother's death James was nearest heir to the English throne, but just HOW did he dissuade the Scots - over whom his power was strictly limited - from using the excuse for their usual descent on England?

Mattingly's general strength on the geopolitical aspects does not mean he is weak or lacking in detail on the naval and military aspects: quite the contrary. Coverage of Drake's raid on Cadiz is pretty much obligatory in a history of the Armada, and Mattingly gives it blow by blow (incidentally revealing what a thoroughly impossible man Drake was to work with). But he is equally strong on Parma's capture of Sluys, which he hoped would be his troops' embarkation point, in the face of dour resistance by the Dutch-English garrison. When it comes to the Armada itself, his grasp of detail is supreme. Mattingly was probably the first of all the many hundreds of Armada historians to read a tide-table and work out that Drake really would have had time to finish his game of bowls - had he ever played it. My only quibble here is over the Dutch naval contribution: they were never in contact with the Armada itself, but their presence scotched any possibility of Parma's forces making a rendezvous. Mattingly acknowledges their importance, but I personally would have welcomed more detail.

Mattingly belonged to the bravura school of English-language historians (Gwyn "The Vikings" Jones is another great exponent), which is both a strength and a weakness. His magnificent prose and grand narrative sweep carry the reader along on a flood tide - sometimes to the extent of concealing omissions and even (for all I know, not being a professional historian) errors. A few of his stylistic mannerisms grate a little nowadays, notably his use of "men" (as in "men said that ...") when a modern viewpoint requires acknowledgement that half the population is female. But these are minor quibbles - buy it and read it!

The defeat of the Armada inaugurated a period which, for English history at least, culminated in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the triumph of a bourgeois science-based way of life.

In this book, Mattingly, unlike many others who have concentrated on the naval aspects of the episode, explores the motivations of the states and individuals involved. In brisk, experienced vignettes, he presents the dilemma facing the English government faced with the intractable problem of the putative heir to the throne, Mary, Quen of Scots, a Catholic, at a time when Elizabeth's throne had been explicity threatened by the Pope.

We see the weakness of France; the relentless attempts of the leading Catholic power, Habsburg Spain, to suppress the Protestant inspired revolt of Holland, which involved military action close to the Kent shore, and action in which England was already heavily involved and expensively subsidizing.

The cutting of the Gordian knot by the execution of Mary precipitated the Spanish attack. Philip II hoped to achieve several objectives at once: to remove Elizabethan Protestantism from Europe; to end English interference with his military action in Holland; finally to crush the Dutch Republic and re-establish the unity of Christendom.

The social and religious motivations of the actors are brilliantly portrayed by an expert in the diplomatic records of the period.

Perhaps the most telling thing you can say in favour of this book is that it is not written for the professional historian, but cannot be ignored by any of them.

From time to time I have heard about various hypotheses concerning physical ailments that would explain the striking artwork of Domenikos Theotokopoulos, known as El Greco ("the Greek") when he became a famous painter in Spain. But Mike Venezia explains the effect in terms of El Greco creating movement by twisting and stretching out the figures in his paintings. Part of his distinctive technique involved using crackling, electric colors and mysterious lighting. Tracing his journey from Greece to Spain, Venezia looks at how El Greco was influenced by Venetian artists like Titian and Tintoretto, and provides examples of the work of those artists to help young readers understand the point. There is a nice comparison offered between paintings of "The Assumption fo the Virgin" by both Titian and El Greco. The book ends with some nice analysis of the "Burial of Count Orgaz."

What I really like about Venezia's "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artist" series is that it focuses on art appreciation, and explaining the uniqueness of each artist, more than it does on their biography. Of course, it is the latter that usually serves as the inspiration for Venezia's humorous cartoons. There are over two dozen such books in this series and they are a wonderful way of introducing young child (and some adults) to the wonderful world of art.

"El Greco," by Mike Venezia, is a visually striking introduction to the life and work of this great artist. Venezia uses reproductions of classic paintings, a simple but compelling text, and his own humorous cartoons to bring El Greco and his world to life. This book is part of a series designed to introduce the world's great artists to children.

"El Greco" begins with the great painter's birth on the island of Crete in the 16th century, and takes the reader along on El Greco's travels through Europe. Not only does the book include many full-color reproductions of El Greco's works, but it also includes reproductions of works by artists who influenced him. We get a fascinating portrait of El Greco as a family man, traveler, and artistic innovator. Venezia's cartoons provide entertaining complements to the text and reproductions.

This is a truly beautiful and educational book. El Greco's remarkable use of color and light, and his passionate treatment of the human form give his work both visual and emotional impact after all these centuries. If your child has an interest in art, this book would make a good addition to the family library.