The history of Spain is full of struggles, betrayals, battles and a complexity that very few know. In fact, even historians do not get to know the full extent of the history of Spain, but focus on a part of it to delve as deeply as possible. For this reason, when it comes to finding the best Spanish history books, it is important to determine which period you really want to study.
And for this reason today we want to help you know one selection of the best history books in Spain. Of course, they are not all there, but some of the most representative are. With them you can learn how people lived in Spain, the reason why conflicts arose, the culture that prevailed and much more.
How to choose the best history books in Spain
Imagine that you have to do a job; or that you have seen a movie or a series and want to know more about the Spanish historical period in which it was set. The most normal thing is that you go to a book to read about it. And that you meet several who treat the same thing. However, if you are curious and read several, you will realize that, sometimes, historical events can be told in different ways.
Each author has his way of narrating as well as interpreting certain events in history. Reason why among the history books of Spain you can find diversity. But how do you choose the best ones? You can be guided by the following:
- Study its author. Sometimes, reviewing the profile of the person who has written the book helps you to know a little more in-depth about his training and experience, as well as where he moves to obtain the data with which he argues his historical reasoning. The more trustworthy you have, the better credibility what counts will have.
- Don't be left with just one book. The worst thing you can do when reading Spanish history books is to stay with just one book, or one author. Each one conducts an investigation, and there will be those who focus more on one aspect or another. In addition, there are also differences of opinion and, in order to create your own, it is necessary that you read a little to several authors in order to obtain a more general conclusion.
- Determine what period of history (or zone) you want to read. It is not the same to read a history of Spain in general, to one of medieval times, of the Inquisition in Spain ... The first will be more generalist, and therefore will go less deeply into the issues; the latter will go directly to a specific historical stage of the country, delving into it and giving details that, otherwise, go unnoticed.
These are the best history books of Spain
Once you know all this, it's time to give you some examples of Spanish history books for you to read. We warn you that there are not all the ones we recommend, because there would be too many, so we have taken a selection of them that you can find in bookstores. These are:
Brief history of Spain
Written by Fernando García de Cortázar and José Manuel González Vesga, this book of more than 900 pages offers you a vision, as its name suggests, brief. And it gives you an introduction to the history of Spain over the years, but without going too deep.
Of course, it is quite good in that it will leave you wanting to delve into certain topics, which opens the doors to other readings, in this case on the specific topic that has caught your attention.
That was not in my Spanish history book
Written by Francisco Garcia del Junco It is more of a "support" book, because although it tells you part of the history of Spain, it is focused on people who already know the history, and what they seek is to delve into those details that other authors miss, or that they do not take them into account at first.
In other words, in this book you can find curiosities, striking facts, things that you did not know ... in short, aspects that may end up attracting a lot of readers' attention and light the fuse of that curiosity to investigate more about that part of the history of Spain.
History of Spain told for skeptics
This book written by Juan Eslava Galan It is one of the most widely read related to the history of Spain. Of course, it is one more book by way of summary, since, as we tell you, although it is quite extensive, it cannot delve into each of the times of Spain, and it shows.
As a good thing, it is the author's way of narrating, which makes the story very enjoyable, and even fun. That helps you get more hooked and above all, by knowing in general what happened in Spain, you can have a broader vision of everything (although later you want to delve into different parts).
The Roman conquest of Hispania
De Javier Negrete, this is one of the best history books of Spain to know a specific period of history, in this case the part of the expansion of Rome by Spain, how the Iberian peoples stood up to him and all the political games, betrayals , etc.
History of Spain in the Middle Ages
Written by Vicente Angel Álvarez Palenzuela, with several Spanish medievalists, presents us with one of the best books in the history of Spain based on the Middle Ages. Specifically, you can read from the barbarian invasions of the XNUMXth century to the formation of Al-Andalus, and from there to the arrival of the Catholic Monarchs.
A book that covers only part of Spain but does so in such detail that it could be perfect for those who want to delve into that specific period.
The spanish inquisition
Written by Henry kamen, is one of the books that collects one of the darkest pasts in the history of Spain. In this case, the author seeks to tell the story, but also to talk about the myths and fallacies that are considered to be true, and that in reality they are not.
In this case, this book would be more as a support, and for those who already know about the history of the inquisition in Spain and then go a little deeper to reel off what is true of what was invented.
History of the Franco regime
Written by Luis Palacios Banuelos, We cannot forget a time in the history of Spain that is now on the lips of many, the time when Francisco Franco ruled. In this case, the author brings you a brief history of that period, since, despite its more than 500 pages, it does not fully delve into everything that happened at that time.
But it will help you to know in a general way what happened.