Spain: The Root and the Flower: An Interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People [Paperback]

John A. Crow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 1985 | ISBN-10: 0520051335 | ISBN-13: 978-0520051331 | Edition: 3rd Exp&Up

John A. Crow updates and expands his classic study of the cultural history of Spain and its people. The scope of this richly textured book is remarkable and includes chapters on Roman Spain, the Jews in Spain, the Moors, life in medieval towns, the Golden Age of Spain, and other epochs in Spanish history. In addition, Crow extensively updates later chapters to reflect changing events in the last ten years in Spain, and he expands his chapter on "Franco's Legacy."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The distinctive features of the book are indeed the author's deep insight into the mores of the country . . . and his enthusiasm for the brilliance of Spain's culture. . . The essential political facts are all there, but far more important and meaningful . . . is the environmental lore that Dr. Crow has gleaned from his many journeys since he first went to Spain in 1928." --"Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

John A. Crow was Professor Emeritus of Spanish at the University of California, Los Angeles. He was also author of The Epic of Latin America (fourth edition, California, 1992). --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 455 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 3rd Exp&Up edition (March 13, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520051335
• ISBN-13: 978-0520051331
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overview Of Spanish History, December 14, 2004

By 

M. D. Stern (Orange, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spain: The Root and the Flower: An Interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People (Paperback)

If one is looking for a brief overview of Spanish history, art, and literature then this book might just be what is desired. While it does not go into great depth, it does provide the reader with an overall basis of beginnings of the Spanish peoples, the civilizations that invaded the Iberian pennisula (Visigoths, Romans, Moors), and describes each of the monarchs.

In addition, the author does provide an insight into the greater known artists of Spain and some of their more well-known works. He also explains the literary talent that Spain has contributed to the world.

The is a good, if not in depth, summary of the events leading up to the Spanish Civil War and what it meant politically to the country. The author covers a good deal of the Franco era, possibly because he was in the country during that time. Still, it provides the reader with a conceputalization of the period. I was a little disappointed that the author did not bring out the less valued parts of Franco's Spain. By reading this book one would think Franco was very nearly a saint. Still, I was thankful for the knowledge of international affairs during the Franco era, and America's reaction (or should I say non-reaction) to it.

The last chapter, "Spain Today", I feel is totally irrelevant. I would recommend not bothering to read it. This book was first written in 1963, and the last update to it was 1984/85. As the author describes "Spain Today" it is 20 years ago. A lot can, and does, happen in 20 years and I feel this chapter should either be updated or completely left out of the book. If one is reading this to educate themselves on current mores and values in Spain, this is not the chapter to gain that information. Because of the dated material in the final two chapters, which I feel are a waste of a reader's time, I felt I had to give this book 3 stars.

If one is looking for a book to provide a brief, easy to read history of Spain, including artists and authors, then this might be a worthy read. If one is looking for the modern day Spain, then this book is not of much use.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable, deep, and completely outstanding, July 9, 2006

By 

Lee Corbin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spain: The Root and the Flower: An Interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People, Third edition (Paperback)

This history book has several things going for it. First, it's eminently readable; the author is a skillful writer who keeps you thinking about the subject matter, not his own style. Second, the reader's interest is doubled by the author's constant interweaving of the development of Spanish character into the history. Thirdly, the author always attempts explanations of the deeper historical processes at work, keeping the (interesting anyway) history from devolving into just descriptions of events, kings, and battles.

The middle third of the book is devoted to explicating the Spaniard's eight-hundred year struggle to expel the Moors. Memorably pointing out that the Moors had superior economic strength, superior technology, vastly greater learning (including science, of course), the author stresses the key factors about Spanish character that enabled their ultimate triumph. The situations at almost any time during this period were never simple, of course---sometimes groups of Moors and Christians would be allied against other groups of Moors and Christians, and there would also be periods of relative peace on the penisula.

I wish that all history books would use John Crow's book as a model.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the best book on Spanish history, but the best on Spain, April 18, 2007

By 

S. Russell - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Spain: The Root and the Flower: An Interpretation of Spain and the Spanish People, Third edition (Paperback)

If you are ignorant of Spanish history, this is not the place to start. This is, as the title suggests, an "interpretation" that assumes a fair amount of previous knowledge. However, if you want to understand why Spanish people are the way they are today, this is the best book I have ever read for that purpose. I am an American who has lived in Spain for 18 years and am married to a Spaniard, and while I don't know if all the facts are correct (as disputed by a previous reviewer), I can say with assurance that the "interpretation" of those facts rings true. I gave this book to a German friend who has also lived here for many years, and he described reading it as, "a light bulb going on in my head". Be prepared for a sad story, though; since the glorious medieval times when cities like Cordoba where far more enlightened than any other in Europe, the story of Spain has been one of many missed opportunities. It is true that this book was last updated in 1985, and therefore does not capture present-day Spain. If you are looking for an excellent book on contemporary Spain, I can suggest Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past