In 1474, when most women were almost powerless, twenty-three-year-old Isabella defied a hostile brother and mercurial husband to seize control of Castile and León.Her subsequent feats were legendary. She ended a twenty-four-generation struggle between Muslims and Christians, forcing Moorish invaders back over the Mediterranean Sea. She laid the foundation for a unified Spain. She sponsored Columbus's trip to the Indies and negotiated Spanish control over much of the New World with the help of Rodrigo Borgia, the infamous Pope Alexander VI. She also annihilated all who stood against her by establishing a bloody religious Inquisition that would darken Spain's reputation for centuries.Whether saintly or satanic, no female leader has done more to shape our modern world, where millions of people in two hemispheres speak Spanish and practice Catholicism. Yet history has all but forgotten Isabella's influence, due to hundreds of years of misreporting that often attributed her accomplishments to Ferdinand, the bold and philandering husband she adored.Using new scholarship, Downey's luminous biography tells the story of this brilliant, fervent, forgotten woman, the faith that propelled her through life, and the land of ancient conflicts and intrigue she brought under her command.

    A request that can’t be refused.In 1482 the Englishman Thomas Berrington is living in the last remnants of Moorish Spain. A physician, he is an unwilling friend to the most powerful man in the kingdom. When bodies start to turn up, each showing the marks of a savage attack, Thomas is asked to investigate.When one of the Sultan’s wives is brutally murdered, what begins as a reluctant task turns into a fight for survival. Together with the eunuch Jorge, Thomas attempts to hunt down the killer before they become his next victims. Except nothing is as it seems—friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends.Thomas’s investigation lays bare the secrets of the Red Hill and the people who inhabit it. His discoveries culminate in a battle not only for his own life, but for the lives of those he loves.

    The year is 947 AD, a time when southern Spain is under the rule of the Moors. The ruler, Caliph al Rahman III is rich, powerful and cultured. His lands are, at long last, at peace and the capital, Córdoba, is considered to be not only the most beautiful city in the civilised world but also the seat of learning and culture. Against this background we meet the artisan Qasim - he and his family have moved to Madinat al Zahra to make their fortune as potters. Qasim is a good husband and father. He works hard, says his prayers and keeps out of trouble. But Qasim has a secret; his past is not what it seems. When a stranger arrives asking questions about him, he is worried that his secret will be discovered and everything he has worked for will be destroyed. He has to take action.

    Together with their beloved Jack Russell/Staffie cross, Freddie, a rescue dog from the local RSPCA, they embark on the journey of a lifetime and relocate to the island of Tenerife. Selling up, they make the move to the north of Tenerife, a part almost unknown to the casual tourist – their very own hidden paradise, a world away from the 'tourist trap' that is the south of the island. Relaxed and surrounded by stunning coastal views, life in their new home, set amidst orange groves and banana plantations, is very different indeed! The weather is fantastic, the temperature idyllic, the people so friendly and the cost of living outrageously low… what more could they ask for? Adjusting to life abroad, and all of the costs that come with it, are explained in the book – from buying a new home and sorting out living taxes, to integrating into the local community and taking the dreaded Spanish driving test. Follow John and Sally as they learn a new language and take on a couple of new hobbies, while Freddie takes off on some unbelievable (but true!) exploits with his new canine friends. With a colourful collection of characters, travelling anecdotes that stretch from the English Midlands and all the way through mainland Spain in an old classic car, and some not so perfect moments that bring us back down to earth from time to time, this is a series of adventures that you will not want to miss. Dog Days In The Fortunate Islands is an ideal read for those contemplating retirement, moving to the Canary Islands or an extended trip through Spain. The book will also appeal to any dog lovers and holidaymakers who enjoy an interesting story.

    When Lily the alpaca falls pregnant, they are in for an anxious few months as they battle against the odds to keep themselves afloat. 'In Seriously Mum, How Many Cats?' there is concern that the cats are going to take over the farm. There are cats in the barn, cats in the garden and even a cat invasion in the bedroom one night. Exploding tyres, flamenco dancing, religious parades and, of course, all your favourite animals return once again to entertain you in the latest story about these much-loved expats.

    Free-spirited Luisa and young poet Eduardo fall in love, cementing a bond that can never be broken.Behind the jasmine filled courtyard, perched amongst houses like clouds on a hilltop, stands a beautiful villa; Carmen de las Estrellas. Beneath its walls live Eduardo and Luisa with their thriving family, but war is looming, casting its shadow over the household.When Civil War finally breaks out, Luisa and Eduardo must fiercely protect those dear to them. Yet these are turbulent times, and as each of their children begin to make their way in the world, the solace of home cannot shield them from the horrors of war.The Poet’s Wife is an extraordinary piece of storytelling spanning over fifty years – a heart- wrenching novel of a family devastated by war but bound together by love, loss and hope, told through the eyes of three remarkable women.“Rebecca Stonehill’s debut, ‘The Poet’s Wife’ is a beautiful and powerful book. Unforgettable, an epic tale peopled with characters so vivid they jump off the pages and take residence in your heart. The writing is beautiful, heartfelt, the descriptions evocative, the sense of time and place exquisite. Nothing I say can do this book justice. Please read it. You will be glad you did.”Renita D’Silva

    This compelling biography of the most powerful European monarch of his day begins with his conception (1526) and ends with his ascent to Paradise (1603), two occurrences surprisingly well documented by contemporaries. Eminent historian Geoffrey Parker draws on four decades of research on Philip as well as a recent, extraordinary archival discovery—a trove of 3,000 documents in the vaults of the Hispanic Society of America in New York City, unread since crossing Philip’s own desk more than four centuries ago. Many of them change significantly what we know about the king. The book examines Philip’s long apprenticeship; his three principal interests (work, play, and religion); and the major political, military, and personal challenges he faced during his long reign. Parker offers fresh insights into the causes of Philip’s leadership failures: was his empire simply too big to manage, or would a monarch with different talents and temperament have fared better?

    He has been the subject of many biographies, several of them more than a thousand pages in length, but all the preceding works have tended toward one extreme of interpretation or the other. This is the first comprehensive scholarly biography of Franco in English that is objective and balanced in its coverage, treating all three major aspects of his life—personal, military, and political. The coauthors, both renowned historians of Spain, present a deeply researched account that has made extensive use of the Franco Archive (long inaccessible to historians). They have also conducted in-depth interviews with his only daughter to explain better his family background, personal life, and marital environment, as well as his military and political career.             Franco: A Personal and Political Biography depicts his early life, explains his career and rise to prominence as an army officer who became Europe's youngest interwar brigadier general in 1926, and then discusses his role in the affairs of the troubled Second Spanish Republic (1931–36). Stanley G. Payne and Jesús Palacios examine in detail how Franco became dictator and how his leadership led to victory in the Spanish Civil War that consolidated his regime. They also explore Franco's role in the great repression that accompanied the Civil War—resulting in tens of thousands of executions—and examine at length his controversial role in World War II. This masterful biography highlights Franco's metamorphoses and adaptations to retain power as politics, culture, and economics shifted in the four decades of his dictatorship. Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the American Association of School Librarians Best Books for General Audiences, selected by the Public Library Reviewers “An important book, destined to elicit a heated academic debate surrounding the man who ruled Spain for forty years and whose figure still casts a long shadow four decades after his death.”—Journal of Modern History

    My life can be boring, but whenever I get together with my eclectic group of friends my life takes a different track.Join me on my tour of Madrid. This year is our 10th Anniversary and we intend to make it as good as the first trip we ever made which was to Barcelona. I brought back a souvenir that year that I still treasure.An anniversary is a time for reflection and I have to do that when my past life catches up with me in the most unusual place. Will I be able to keep my secret? Or is it time for me to grow up and accept some responsibility?Step aboard the Sunshine tour, take a seat and lose yourself in Sunshine’s world!

    “All the charming, untouched villages now have McDonald’s and strip malls.”Art Lester wasn’t convinced. So when he and his wife stumbled into Cantilla, a white village perched high in the Sierra Nevada of southern Spain, he knew at once that he was going to ignore their advice.There were problems. Speaking the language for one thing, as he learned when he told a roomful of peasant farmers that he was pregnant. It didn’t help, either, when exhausted by difficult travelling, the newly-arrived pilgrim accidentally peed on a neighbour’s sheep. The house they bought on the first day nearly revealed itself as a ruin too far. But these obstacles could be overcome by patience, hard work and a stubborn refusal to face the hardest questions of all. Such as, “Now that you’ve found paradise, what do you do?”"This captivating story of life in a remote Spanish village is told with warmth and humour.""Enjoyable from beginning to end with many delightful human touches.""Warm, funny and fascinating --- difficult to put down as you are with Art every step of the way in his adventures."* Amazon/Kindle/Travel/Essays and Travelogues, Number 1 book, February 2015

    I convinced him that although we couldn’t yet speak Spanish, we should retire to Spain. We settled in a tiny mountain village and life was never boring again. But we never did retire. By the time we had become (reluctant) chicken farmers, I knew I had to write a book about it all. Then I wrote another, then two more. And so the Old Fools series was born. This little book and its sequels are a collection of our original newsletters and photographs. They describe random incidents, some of which are woven into the Old Fools books. Also included are Spanish recipes, many given to me by the ladies of the village.

    It will take you to fresh climatic heights, unveiling new fascinating landscapes of human bigotry.The book offers a unique view on otherwise trivial subjects like the Spanish Reconquista and its incestuous but God-fearing masterminds Isabella and Ferdinand, the transatlantic voyages of a racist xenophobe called Christopher Columbus, the passion for ridiculous hats of an Ottoman sultan, the love affair between Charlemagne and Pope Leo III, and the discovery of America by Scandinavian socialists known as the Vikings.You will also find out that virtuous men, like Alexander the Great, only commit mistakes when they listen to women; what’s the difference between the author’s grandmother and Amelia Earhart; how many mummies did Europeans eat during the Renaissance; and why unicorns, who love the company of virgins, got extinct in the early 17th Century, never to be seen again.In the moments when it doesn’t reinvent history, the book offers a stomach-cramping map of horrible European food, a guide for dividing the Old Continent, a prophecy about the aftermath of the coming Blitzjihad, and a world map according to Facebook users.

    This is a collection of photos to accompany the new memoir, Seriously Mum, How Many Cats?

    Having set himself the goal of, “being somewhere I like, doing something that I like doing,” by the time he turns 50, he sets out to cycle for weeks, if not months, on end until he finds his dream location. Then a horse crosses his path… “…and upon it was seated, bareback, a very brown and sinewy man of about my own age dressed in leather sandals, washed out shorts and a short-sleeved blue shirt that had all seen far, far better days.” Thus commenced Ken’s sojourn at Manolo’s homestead cum eco-agricultural project, a.k.a. ‘El Proyecto’, ‘El Refugio’, or, by Manolo’s mother, “A place in need of a very good clean.” Here, under the erratic supervision of the one-time trainee priest, Ken sets about bettering the lives of the horse, poultry, pigs, goats, cats and the eclectic selection of human beings who frequent his mentor’s breezeblock mansion. He plans to move on soon, but Manolo’s burning desire to build a new society, with Ken in it, cannot be eluded so easily…

    His adventures are offered as a model for understanding how art history is shaped by life experiences, and he describes the influence of his parents, Jean and Leonard Brown, noted collectors of documentation of 20th-century avant-garde movements.His turn to research on the Golden Age of Spanish art was motivated by a year in Madrid, 1958-59. Art history in Spain was modeled on the policies of the Franco regime, and Brown sought to find different ways to interpret Spanish painting. His approach is demonstrated by fresh insight into painters, including Velázquez. A new interpretation of Las Meninas is proposed and the perils of attribution are examined. Later in his career, Brown began to study the transformation of Spanish art in the Americas. The book originated as a series of six lectures delivered at the Museo Nacional del Prado in 2012.

    I convinced him that although we couldn’t yet speak Spanish, we should retire to Spain. We settled in a tiny mountain village and life was never boring again. But we never did retire. By the time we had become (reluctant) chicken farmers, I knew I had to write a book about it all. Then I wrote another, then two more. And so the Old Fools series was born. This little book and its sequels are a collection of our original newsletters and photographs. They describe random incidents, some of which are woven into the Old Fools books. Also included are Spanish recipes, many given to me by the ladies of the village.

    When they both were young, de Lucia and DeMaria shared adventures in Madrid, Sevilla, Algeciras, London, New York, Albuquerque and San Francisco. Also parts of the story are famous rock promoter Bill Graham, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin and George Benson.

    No longer threatened by Moroccan incursions, the kings of Castile were diverted from completing the Reconquest by civil war and conflicts with neighboring Christian kings. Mindful, however, of their traditional goal of recovering lands formerly ruled by the Visigoths, whose heirs they claimed to be, the Castilian monarchs continued intermittently to assault Granada until the late fifteenth century.Matters changed thereafter, when Fernando and Isabel launched a decade-long effort to subjugate Granada. Utilizing artillery and expending vast sums of money, they methodically conquered each Naṣrid stronghold until the capitulation of the city of Granada itself in 1492. Effective military and naval organization and access to a diversity of financial resources, joined with papal crusading benefits, facilitated the final conquest. Throughout, the Naṣrids had emphasized the urgency of a jihād waged against the Christian infidels, while the Castilians affirmed that the expulsion of the "enemies of our Catholic faith" was a necessary, just, and holy cause. The fundamentally religious character of this last stage of conflict cannot be doubted, Joseph F. O'Callaghan argues.

    Created in a handy, take-along format, this guide is written by a seasoned travel writer to help conjure the spirit of the place in elegant text enhanced by National Geographic's famous eye for good pictures. More than just a guidebook, Walking Barcelona is full of information about the city and its people. The guide is divided into the following sections:The Whirlwind Tours section shows you how to see the entire city in a day or a weekend; what sites will interest kids most; plus, a hedonist's tour that's pure pleasure from dawn to midnight and beyond. The Neighborhoods section of the book presents the city broken down into eight itineraries that lead you on a step-by-step tour to the best sites in each of the city's greatest neighborhoods--from Ciutat Vella and Barceloneta to Barri Gotic and the Rambla to the Eixample and Uptown and beyond. Each itinerary includes such special features as "Distinctly Barcelona...," highlighting quintessential aspects of the city (coffee & cava, the Catalan culture, and soccer); "Best Of," providing specific thematic groupings of sights, such as city views, sporty Barcelona, and Barcelona-style nightlife; and "in-depth" spreads that take a deep dive into a major museum or other iconic sight along the route.Travel Essentials provides information on how to get to the city and how to get around once you're there, as well as hand-picked hotels and restaurants.Walking Barcelona is part of an exciting pocket-guide series from National Geographic that showcases the world's great cities. Travelers will find top-notch, streamlined, and useful local knowledge that goes beyond the Internet basics to ensure a rewarding, authentic, and memorable urban experience.

    The problem is that a number of them are not exactly devotees of any particular religion, and are doing it because they think it's a fun thing to do while seeking entertainment and companionship on their journey of discovery. Each evening, one person in the group is committed to telling a short story, and it is this collection of stories that forms the core of the book, whilst in the background tensions are brewing between various factions in the group that eventually lead to divine retribution. The inspiration for the style of presentation came from Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, but without delving too deeply into the poetry associated with the original masterpiece. The material in the individual stories varies from the raunchy to the bawdy and from the hilarious to the sad, being based more often than not on actual experiences. The style of writing is fully intended to be humorous, and should appeal to those who enjoy a good belly laugh.

    This Dantean narration presents "characters," including its author, whose lives do not conform to idea cultural models. They are rather figures under the threat of disintegration who require self-transformation for their survival. Every conservation and event here narrated is ethnographically factual, yet the book is essentially about the fundamental fantasies and subjective conversions of a generation surrendered to "the passion for the real." This Bilbao generation of the sixties-branded inaugurally by the trauma of ETA, socialism, atheism. Aresti's Malden behera (Downfall), the survival of Euskara, the art of Oteiza and Chillida, feminism-found in Frank Gerhy's "shipwreck" masterpiece its ultimate emblem and the promise of a new city. It is the architecture of labyrinth, a building of cuts and torsions, "the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe" (Muschamp), turned into the new face of "that old Bilbao moon" that Brecht sang as "the most beautiful in the world."

    Stavans also focuses on the baroque style and the way Spain has built its national identity around Don Quixote. With a wealth of insight, these enlightening lectures are invaluable both for those already passionate about Cervantes' masterpiece and for those only about to discover its wonders.

    It will reveal the stupefying amalgam of superstition and paranoia of the Middle Ages. It will expose the pious madness of the Spanish Reconquista and its incestuous but God-fearing masterminds Isabella and Ferdinand. It will follow the voyages of a racist xenophobe called Christopher Columbus, study the genetic defects of the greatest Habsburg emperor, explore the competing eccentricity between the Roman popes and the Ottoman sultans, exhume the megalomaniac ambitions of Charlemagne, and examine the discovery of America by a reckless bunch of Scandinavian socialists known as the Vikings.You will also find out that scapegoats were the first domesticated animals; that virtuous men, like Alexander the Great, only commit mistakes when they listen to women; that most Egyptian mummies were eaten by enlightened Europeans during the Renaissance; and -- last but not least -- that unicorns, who reportedly love the company of virgins, got extinct in the early 17th Century, never to be seen again.The essays in this book are collected from the best-selling illustrated Atlas of Prejudice series by visual artist and writer Yanko Tsvetkov, developed for his world-renown Mapping Stereotypes project.

    In history, however, with its focus on high politics and military operations, they are invisible—a situation that Charles J. Esdaile seeks to address. In Women in the Peninsular War, Esdaile looks beyond the iconography. While a handful of Spanish and Portuguese women became Agustina-like heroines, a multitude became victims, and here both of these groups receive their due. But Esdaile reveals a much more complicated picture in which women are discovered to have experienced, responded to, and participated in the conflict in various ways. While some women fought or otherwise became involved in the struggle against the invaders, others turned collaborator, used the war as a means of effecting dramatic changes in their situation, or simply concentrated on staying alive. Along with Agustina Zaragoza Domenech, then, we meet French sympathizers, campfollowers, pamphleteers, cross-dressers, prostitutes, amorous party girls, and even a few protofeminists. Esdaile examines many social spheres, ranging from the pampered daughters of the nobility, through the cloistered members of Spain’s many convents, to the tough and defiant denizens of the Madrid slums. And we meet not just the women to whom the war came but also the women who came to the war—the many thousands who accompanied the British and French armies to the Iberian peninsula. Thanks to his use of copious original source material, Esdaile rescues one and all from, as E. P. Thompson put it, “the enormous condescension of posterity.” And yet all these women remain firmly in their historical and cultural context, a context that Esdaile shows to have emerged from the Peninsular War hardly changed. Hence the subsequent loss of these women’s story, and the obscurity from which this book has at long last rescued them.

    The author achieved his ambitious goal of finding pertinent rules and codes that were followed in previous societies for the processes that formed the built environment of their towns and cities, including building activities at the neighborhood level and the decision-making process that took place between proximate neighbors. The original languages of the texts that were translated into English are Greek, Latin, Italian, Arabic and Spanish. The sources for the chapter on Greece date from the 2nd century B.C.E. to the 19th century C.E. Those for the chapter on Italy date from the 10th to the 14th centuries C.E. and for the chapter on Spain from the 5th to the 18th centuries C.E. Numerous appendices are included to enhance and elaborate on the material that make up the chapters. This book provides lessons and insights into how compact and sustainable towns and cities that are greatly admired today were achieved in the past and how we and future generations can learn from this rich heritage, including the valuable insight provided by the nature of the rules and codes and their application through centuries of continuous use.

    From this unique perspective Arellano explores the ways people use water in dry places around the world. Touching on the Middle East, Europe, Mexico, and South America before circling back to New Mexico, Arellano makes a case for preserving the acequia irrigation system and calls for a future that respects the ecological limitations of the land."

    Lamrani argues that the tiny island nation is forced to contend not only with economic isolation and a U.S. blockade, but with misleading or downright hostile media coverage. He takes as his case study El Pa�s, the most widely distributed Spanish daily. El Pa�s (a property of Grupo Prisa, the largest Spanish media conglomerate), has editions aimed at Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., making it is a global opinion leader. Lamrani wades through a swamp of reporting and uses the paper as an example of how media conglomerates distort and misrepresent life in Cuba and the activities of its government. By focusing on eight key areas, including human development, internal opposition, and migration, Lamrani shows how the media systematically shapes our understanding of Cuban reality. This book, with a preface by Eduardo Galeano, provides an alternative view, combining a scholar's eye for complexity with a journalist's hunger for the facts.