Spain

"Spain" by Frederick A. Ober. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

'Spain is different' was for a long time the explanation proffered by historians when they sought to explain the course of the nation's exceptionally rich and varied history. Spain was the only region in the medieval West (along with Sicily) to experience Islamic conquest; the first nation to lay claim to a global empire and the first to lose it; and the country in which the extreme forces of the Left and the Right were to act out one of the bloodiest confrontations Europe has known. Today, however, as Spain has become firmly integrated into the political and economic structures of the European Union, the long-held notion that the country is a nation apart no longer seems valid. Simon Barton probes the extent to which Spain should be regarded as an exceptional case and provides a highly-readable, lucid and balanced account of its vibrant and colourful history, from its origins to the present day. This second edition of a highly successful text has been revised and expanded in the light of new scholarship, and now features additional maps and figures. Barton brings the story right up to date with coverage of recent events, such as the 2004 Madrid bombings and the general election of 2008.

Publisher Description

Engaging history of the rich cultural, social and political life of Spain from prehistoric times to the present.

Medieval Spain is brilliantly recreated, in all its variety and richness, in this comprehensive survey. Likely to become the standard work in English, the book treats the entire Iberian Peninsula and all the people who inhabited it, from the coming of the Visigoths in the fifth century to the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella. Integrating a wealth of information about the diverse peoples, institutions, religions, and customs that flourished in the states that are now Spain and Portugal, Joseph F. O'Callaghan focuses on the continuing attempts to impose political unity on the peninsula. O'Callaghan divides his story into five compact historical periods and discusses political, social, economic, and cultural developments in each period. By treating states together, he is able to put into proper perspective the relationships among them, their similarities and differences, and the continuity of development from one period to the next. He gives proper attention to Spain's contacts with the rest of the medieval world, but his main concern is with the events and institutions on the peninsula itself. Illustrations, genealogical charts, maps, and an extensive bibliography round out a book that will be welcomed by scholars and student of Spanish and Portuguese history and literature, as well as by medievalists, as the fullest account to date of Spanish history in the Middle Ages.

A good introductory picture of the Islamic presence in Spain, from the year 711 until the modern era.

This title provides an entertaining look at the many regional styles of architecture in Spain, including such notable structures as Bilbao's Guggenheim and La Alhambra in Granada.

This volume is designed to further the study of Spanish culture in the broad sense of the network of symbolic systems through which social groups construct and negotiate a sense of identity or identities. The emphasis is on culture as a set of practices rather than as a corpus of texts. Theaim is to introduce readers to current theoretical debates in a range of disciplines, as well as to inform them about specific areas of twentieth-century Spanish culture. The four sections on 'Ethnicity and Migration', 'Gender', 'Popular Culture', and 'The Local and the Global' cover ethnography,music, TV, advertising, popular literature, medical discourse, film, posters, museums, and urban development.

The civilisation of medieval Muslim Spain is perhaps the most brilliant and prosperous of its age and has been essential to the direction which civilisation in medieval Europe took. This volume is the first ever in any language to deal in a really comprehensive manner with all major aspects of Islamic civilisation in medieval Spain.

An overview of the third largest country in Europe including information about its geography, history, government, current issues, and many aspects of the lifestyle of its people.