A Short History Of Spain

A Short History of Spain (1926) by Henry Dwight Sedgwick — published by George G. Harrap — arrives from that golden age when “short” histories were written by people who had absolutely no intention of being brief. Instead, you get a brisk (in spirit, if not in page count) gallop through centuries of conquest, crowns, crusades, and catastrophes, all delivered with the calm authority of a man who assumes you’re keeping up.

This is Spain as seen from 1926: dramatic, sun-drenched, occasionally baffling, and very sure of itself. Expect Moors and monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella doing their thing, and the kind of sweeping statements historians were allowed to make before footnotes became a competitive sport. It’s confident, slightly opinionated, and unintentionally revealing about the era in which it was written — which, in its own way, makes it twice the history for the price of one.

Condition: Good — which in Crappy Old Books terms means it has lived a life, possibly several. The pages may carry that reassuring old-paper aroma (or “historical ambience,” if we’re being generous), and the cover may show the sort of wear that suggests it has survived at least one minor empire of its own. Perfect for readers who like their history with a side of history.

ISBN: none — because in 1926, books simply trusted you to find them.

Sold by Crappy Old Books, where the stock is vast, the prices are suspiciously low, and every volume has a past it’s not entirely ready to talk about.

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