I am ashamed to say, after studying the Napoleonic Wars for quite some time, this is my first reading of this excellent volume. It is an exhaustive, authoritative account of the Peninsular War that is without peer in English. Oman spent years researching and writing this multi-volume epic, and it is invaluable both as a reference and a research tool on its own. The only way you will find like information is by going into the archives yourself.

Oman does somewhat over simplify 'column versus line' in his study, but the detail, and the sweep of these campaigns that he so meaningfully tells more than make up for that.

This book, and the series it introduces, are highly recommended for any and all enthusiasts and historians, and it has an honored place on my bookshelf. The price may be somewhat steep, but it is definitely worth it.

This reissue has an invaluable introduction by Col John Elting, the noted authority on the period, which is helpful in understanding how and why Oman wrote the series. This book, and the series, is a definite keeper and is without peer for the study of these critical campaigns.

Oman is the definitive tactical and operational description of the British and French campaigns in the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. It's also among the best descriptions in the English language of the realities of early 19th century ground combat.

My reading was of the original volumes in the 1970s; I'm most pleased that these unmatched references have been re-printed.

"The best guides for the finest kind of vacation." Elle Magazine

"This series has long been respected as one of the best of its kind. Each book contains detailed color maps and a listing of accommodations by area. They include color photographs, the address and phone number, a star rating, amenities, price, and a brief paragraph describing the property. Newly revised and updated, these excellent guides to accommodations in Europe are highly recommended for all libraries." Library Journal

A young and inexperienced priest arrives to an old and aristocratic house which is in clear falling in pieces. He strongly feels that the state of the house is the consequence of the moral decay of its owner who is a good for nothing, solely interested in hunting activities and who had a bastard son with the maid of the house.

The priest believes that the sacrament of matrimony, will render the fruits upon Señor de Ulloa soul and sets hmself the goal of finding him a bride suitable for such high designations. The Marquis due to quite distorted reasoning ends up choosing a cousin who is not very attractive and a little weak istead of the one he was really attracted to.

The aims of the priest clash head to head wih the long term plans of Primitivo a sort of family housekeeper with a self appointed position who have been stealing the proceeds of the hacienda's and is waiting for the proper moment to take full control of the Marquis de Ulloa's land properties. At that moment will become due when Spain is shaken by liberal movements and the novelty of the democratic process.

The role of women on this novel shall not go unnoticed, since both the maid and the aristocratic lady of the house are also a reflection of the era which is gaining momentum Spain and it is reflected on the health of both ladies and in which the Spaniars were simultaneously spectators and protagonists as well as in the sexual preferences of the Marquis de Ulloa.

Emilia Pardo Bazán stands as perhaps the Spanish speaking world's greatest woman novelist. Along with Galdos and Clarín she was one of the three most important writers of late 19th century Spain. An intellectual of astounding breadth, she was the leading exponent of the Naturalist literary school in her country, -- as attested by her numerous theoretical wrtitings on the subject -- and was an outspoken feminist. She also wrote the first review of Darwin's _Origin of the Species_ to appear in print in Spain.

_The House of Ulloa_ is the work of fiction for which she is best known, and is also the work which perhaps best illustrates Pardo Bazán's own peculiar and unorthodox conception of Naturalism. A primitive and violent rural countryside provides the setting for the novel. When Julian, a cultured and somewhat effeminate priest arrives at the house of the Marquis of Ulloa, he discovers a brutish place which is physically falling prey to creeping nature. Weeds and plants have encroached on the property and whole sections of the once magnificent manor have fallen into disrepair. Julian attempts to "save" the Marquis by marrying him to a city dwelling cousin. The plan, however, does not sit well with Primitivo, the Marquis' ruthless and violent butler. Primitivo excercises a defacto control over the Marquis' property and finances, and is alarmed by the intrusion of the new inhabitants. His opposition is heightened by the fact that the Marquis has borne an illegitimate child of Primitivo's daughter and the new arrivals threaten his grandson's eventiual claims to inheritance. Thus the stage is set for a powerful and cruel denouement.

Beautiful interior and exterior pictures. Concise and informative text. Well represented properties throughout Andalusia and not concentrating on one specific location. A great complimentary book to Spanish Palaces and Villas. Hope the authors will follow up with the houses and palaces of Portugal.

Whether you are an afficionado of fine interior design, an art enthusiat, or someone that needs a bit of exotic beauty in his/her life, this book on fine Andalusian interiors and exteriors is for you. The photography is at once stunning and vivid. If you are looking for some unusual decorating ideas to spice up your own home, look into this book. Anyone who appreciates beautiful photography will enjoy the masterfully executed and colorful plates.

Living in Alicante now, I bought this guide before we moved here. It is really great. Compact and with lots of useful information. I recommend it even on my alicante-spain web site.

For the compact size it has good info...mostly on attractions, but no advice on resturants and hotels...

After a brief overview of the "oldest art in the world" and a discussion of the caveats associated with the term 'art' as applied to extinct cultures Bahn describes the problem of taphonomy where knowledge of another older culture is shaped by the survival of artifacts. He also discusses the problem of controlled and limited access to ancient sites, as well as the use of modern photography to capture and transmit information about these sites to a larger audience.

Next, Bahn discusses different kinds of ice age art, which he categorizes as: 1) parietal art which takes the form of wall paintings and sculptures, floor tiles, and other large relatively immovable blocks of stone on which "signs" have been worked. Wall art can be incised, sculpted (additive or subtractive), or painted. 2) portable art which takes the form of figurines, musical instruments, tools, weapons, pottery, and other items that could be easily carried. Surviving portable items are generally made of ivory, bone, or ceramic clay or some other relatively durable inorganic substance.

Bahn then describes how analysts attempt to date ice age material. At one time, scientists believed ice age art could not be dated because it was either inorganic or the methods available for dating organic material were clumsy and destructive. Recent improvements in dating techniques have changed that. For example, charcoal (an organic substance) was frequently used by ice age artists to create the black outlines seen in many wall paintings. For years, scientists thought the black paint was manganese dioxide, an inorganic substance. Since only a pinprick of paint is now required for radio carbon analysis, scientists have been able to test the black paint, discover it was carbon based, and date it.

The book is filled with wonderful technical material as well as plenty of stylistic and other material of interest to art historians. I most appreciated the section that reviewed the various theories about "Why" ice age art was created. Was it art for art's sake? Was it the work of hunters practicing sympathetic magic? Was it a fertility ritual? Bahn pretty much dismisses these theories with practical observations about their shortcomings. What he does not dismiss is the creation of the ice age art for mythical purposes associated with healing rituals. Parietal ice age art is located inside dark passages near water. Often this water derives from warm springs. Sometimes the water flows from dark passages into the daylight. Often, mysterious markings that correspond to the seasons and the moon can be found at the entryways to cave chambers. Does this circumstantial evidence point to ritual undertakings that involved a Mother Goddess?

As an artist whose work is inspired by the cave paintings of Lascaux, I am always on the lookout for new books about the prehistoric cave art of Europe. This book is a delightful addition to my collection. I should caution that I approach books like this strictly from a layman's and artist's point of view, as I have a limited background in archeology.

Before I read this book, I'd always considered the cave art of Lascaux as the "birthplace of human art" (which was how it was presented in most of my art history courses at school.) Now I realize that the artists of that period are actually almost exactly halfway, timewise, between the earliest evidence of prehistoric art, and the art of today. Each new discovery of prehistoric cave art seems to push back the "birthdate" of human art a few tens of thousands of years.

Rather than focusing on a single cave site, this book is a more comprehensive treatment of Ice age art, discussing caves across Europe, with references to caves in Russia and China. It presents a more complete treatment of all aspects of these caves, discussing anthropological characteristics of the people who created the art, similarities and differences in the artwork, theories about their signicance(mostly debunked here), forgeries, history of the caves' discovery, etc. The photographs are excellent, and many are of paintings and objects I've never seen before. The writing, though comprehensive, is also entertaining and engaging, a good read. I enjoyed this book immensely.

This book is unique to me for several reasons. First, the wonderful photographs not only feature the more widely known paintings inside the caves (referred to in the book as "parietal art" or wall art), but also the artifacts found in conjunction with the paintings--"portable art". I found more photographs of such objects than in any other book I've read. Many are of artifacts I've never read about before.

Also, almost every possible theory ever presented to explain these paintings and artifacts is examined--and most of them debunked. Somehow, this is reassuring to me as an artist--although it would be exciting to understand more about the purpose of the art, it is also satisfying to realize that there is still no encompassing theory about why these amazing paintings and artifacts were created. Their mystery is still profound, intact and untouched. The various theories and conjecture throughout the years about these caves, argues the author, clearly reveals more about US, as modern people, than it does about the cultures that created the cave art. We overlay our desires, prejudices and blind spots onto the art, and for the last 150 years, observers have tended to "find" what they are looking for in the paintings.

There is a whole chapter devoted to fakes and forgeries of Ice Age art, a subject I find fascinating. My favorite phrase in this chapter is a caption of a photograph (p. 81)"...the dot and plantlike sign near the dreadful hand stencil appeared after the first photographs were taken."

In summary, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in archeology, cave paintings, art history, and art.

Light and airy in style, filled with memorable scenes and characters, an engaging narrator, and plenty of information about daily life in backroads Spain 50 years ago. I see why this author deserved a Nobel prize. However, skip the introduction, a heavy handed piece of academic existentialist skulduggery that almost persuaded me not to read the book.

I needed a short, easy book to read while on my vacation with my sister. She happened to have this book along and lent it to me. I found myself travelling through the countryside of Spain with Camilo Cela and loving it. He included just enough information to let us share his experience without drowning us in too much detail. I'll never have his exact memories but I felt like I could recognize the places and feelings if I ever get to go there. I recommend this as an enjoyable, easy read.

I used this book side-by-side with my Frommer's Portugal and found it to be a great complement. It excels at finding wonderful accommodations across the ENTIRE country. (My Frommer's book, I found, included only the most popular tourist spots, largely ignoring the Douro Valley, for example, which every traveler should see.) Each of the places we stayed was unique and spectacular, and many of them were not included in other travel guides. The regional itineraries were also very useful. While we didn't follow any of them to the letter but rather picked and choosed to suit our travel plans, the book pointed out lots of special points of interest, again not always mentioned in my Frommer's book. (Were it not for these itineraries, we undoubtedly would have missed seeing the medieval castle at Marvao, a highlight of our trip.)

For in-depth coverage of all of the regions of Portugal and lodging recommendations you can trust, this book is it.

This was my first time buying a Karen Brown guide, and it certainly won't be my last.

After digesting several other books on Portugal I received Karen Brown's book. Had I received her book first, I could have saved a lot of money and time because no other book comes anywhere close to providing the information and interest in visiting the places that she writes about. I cannot wait to read her other books. Wanted to have a vehicle there but was disuaded by the other publications. However, after reading her book I am anxious to rent a vehicle and visit all the wonderful adventures that she has written about. Sorry to say we only have 16 days this time, but rest assured we will return to finish the books descriptions of all the wonderful places. The web sites and phone numbers provided are extremely helpful; even moreso that the information provided by the state run tourism office. The encouragement to explore is there. Thanks once again for a wonderfully written guide book.

es un libro intenso, en el que se siente la fuerza narrativa de vargas llosa. en realidad a veces crees estar en esa selva donde pasan semanas y llueve a cantaros. muy recomendado, es vargas llosa en uno de sus mejores momentos.

Luis Mendez

Este es uno de los mejores trabajos de Vargas Llosa, hay sentimiento, intriga, historias que se entrecruzan y sobre todo una captura perfecta de ciertas características latinoiamericanas que nos hacen tan universales.

A LAND SO REMOTE

Prior to the holidays, I received a great gift, a copy of the beautifully produced three-volume study A Land So Remote, authored by Larry Frank and Skip Miller, and published by Marianne and Michael O'Shaughnessy of Red Crane Books, Publishers, Santa Fe.
Creation of a successful publication of this magnitude can only be accomplished by many who work in concert, in this case scholar, editor, publisher and, of course, those who are willing to share their treasures with anyone wishing to turn the pages in this landmark study. Frank and Miller have devoted a large percentage of their lives carefully studying and painstakingly handling objects-some of religious importance, powerful images that were the subject of daily devotion, while other objects that served a useful function in the lives of hundreds of thousands attempting to make their lives easier. To the Hispanic, Native American, and the Anglo, these objects were an integral part of daily life-whether as an expression of their spirituality, their intense religious devotion-- or to enable them to perform certain physical tasks-- cutting wood or baking bread.
The authors, in concert with photographer Michael O'Shaughnessy, have treated each object sympathetically, whether it be a santo or bulto, or packsaddle or carreta wheels, with the same level of care, even reverence. The real joy is in seeing so many diverse objects fashioned out of wood and other materials in significant numbers. How often have we had the opportunity of examining page after page of images beautifully organized and described. The authors, of course, treat us to a display of work by lesser known santeros, as well as the most celebrated, notably José Rafael Aragon. Volume two devotes pages 288 to 377 to some of the most powerful religious images by Aragon and his followers that the reader will ever experience.
Since 1974, I have been a frequent visitor to New Mexico and have written a few books on the Anglo painters. After reading Miller's and Frank's essays, I said to myself, "I wish I had written these words. Both scholars write with conviction and authority. They also write in a style I have labeled "an easy read." They have organized their material so that it makes sense. You understand why the objects were created, who created them and importantly, how they were created. Happily, these objects, some still in the churches in Ranchos de Taos, Chimayo, Taos, and chapels throughout the Southwest, others in museums and private collections, have been "gathered" and presented to the reader and viewer in a beautiful and effective manner (I was tempted to use the phrase elegant but refrained).
All reviews of the publication praise A Land So Remote for its visual appeal, handsome photographs," fascinating account of the history and culture of Hispanic New Mexico," scholarship, a major contribution to Hispanic studies. One critic even suggested that, before being placed in a glass case [with other rare books], it might serve as a coffee table book. Never! If anything, it will be a banquet table book, and will be the scene of great feasts-visual and literary. But their words, like mine, fail to express the impact this handsome three-volume study will have on you-the participant. This study will, like the objects that it treats, transcends time. Secure your copy. I can assure you that it will never gather dust (although it will go out-of-print).

Dean A. Porter, Ph. D.
Director Emeritus, The Snite Museum of Art
Professor of Art History
University of Notre Dame

Published by the vaunted Red Crane Books of Santa Fe, New Mexico, this three volume set on religious art and wooden artifacts of New Mexico is a rare, rich visual and intellectual repast. It would be a treasured gift, one to which collectors and aficionados will return time and again.

Larry Frank is remembered for "The New Kingdom of the Saints" (1997), while Skip Miller is curator and director, Taos Historic Museums.

With 842 stunning color photographs and 848 pages A Land so Remote surely holds the most comprehensive and accessible information on this subject. Many of the photos included are of rare objects gleaned from nine museums and a number of private collections. Carefully selected for the part each plays in this artistic corpus, photos are accompanied by concise essays that enhance knowledge while still piquing an interest to know more.

Volumes I and II beautifully present the growth of religious art during a period of over 125 years. It was a time when in order to undergird their faith Spanish settlers turned to santos, visual representations of saints. Thus was born an art form unique to America which once was of great import in churches, communities and homes.. Santos were, if you will, incarnations of the hopes and dreams of these immigrants.

"Rightly understood," author Frank remarks, "santos are a kind of 'liberation theology' written in the language of wood, plaster, and paint, an understanding of Christianity that empowers the poor to free themselves from unjust socioeconomic and cultural structures in the larger world and within themselves.

Volume III centers on wooden objects, such as tools, furniture, toys, and domestic utensils. These objects testify to the influence of the Spanish on the traditions of the indigenous inhabitants of this region.

Photographer Michael O'Shaughnessy described his task as a "...wonderful, often awesome, experience of having such close contact with material that radiates the love and importance that their makers brought to their creation."

Such is the case with readers as they leaf through the pages of these landmark volumes.

- Gail Cooke