A Concise History of the Spanish Civil War, Paul Preston
No war in modern times has inflamed the passions of both ordinary people and intellectuals in the way the conflict in Spain in 1936 did. The Spanish Civil War in burned into the European consciousness, not simply because it prefigured the much larger war that followed it, but because the intense manner of its prosecution was a harbinger of a new and horrific form of warfare that was universally dreaded. At the same time the hopes awakened by the attempted social revolution in the republican Spain chimed with the aspiration of many in Europe and the United States during the grim years of the Depression.
I read this book to get a deeper understanding of the tensions in Spain that persist to this day as I planned a second trip to Catalonia for a horse trekking trip. Shortly after reading this history I picked up Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls again and I was able to make a deeper connection to the characters in this classic novel with a greater understanding of the context that the story takes place in.
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Hero of The Empire, Candice Millard
This is a book about Winston Churchill. This is an excellent example of adventure literature, it is skillfully written, very readable and enjoyable. The story takes place during the Second Boer War fought between the British Empire and two Boer states, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State, over the Empire's influence in South Africa. Churchill was busting at the bitts to get into the war and was successful in getting into the action, was captured and then made a daring escape that helped launch his political career.
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The River of Doubt, Candice Millard
At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait, The River of Doubt is the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. This is the second book by Millard I have read, and both have been excellent pieces of adventure literature. The story is skillfully portrayed, and the story is riveting. Roosevelt is one of my favorite historical figures and this expedition was his last great adventure and one that he came close to not returning from. Reading this book has inspired me to book a trip to the Amazon in 2020 to fish and explore this most interesting part of the world.
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