Spanish Civil War books

[Y Chwyldro Comiwnyddol Cymraeg]

I have been meaning to buy a book on the Spanish Civil War for some time now, but have never got around to it. Can anyone recommend one for me?

I'm looking for quite a relatively easy read considering the subject matter, and one preferably from a libertarian point of view.

One I'm considerinf at the mooment is Orwell's Homage to Catalonia. Does he write only of his experiences or of the revolution/war in general?

Thanks in advanced...:)

[mykittyhasaboner]

Homage To catalonia is a terrific read. its easy to read, and not very long. and yes he does have libertarian point of view. He writes about his own experiences for most of the book, but he dedicated a couple of chapters to the war in general. by reading his experiences you really get a sense of what it was like, but hes completely real about the whole thing and he states "keep in mind this is only one man's truth". its one of my favorite books of all time, if you want read about the spanish civil war you have to get this book.

:thumbup1:

[Bastable]

I've just started reading a book called "Lessons of the Spanish Revolution" by Vernon Richards (who if I remember correctly was a friend of George Orwell), I'm not very far yet but so far it seems like a good read. Basically he examines the CNT-FAI, what they did right what they did wrong, and draws lessons from that for any future revolution.

[Red October]

I've read The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge by Paul Preston, and it was pretty good. I didn't see much bias in any direction, it's just a general history o the conditions and events leading up to the war and the war itself. If you're looking for something more specific to the CNT-FAI, it's probably not what you're looking for. I still recommend it though, I learned a lot from it.

[coda]

i'm reading one right now -- The Concise History of the Spanish Civil War by Gabriel jackson. Very good with a lot of photo documentary. but i think it's out of print.

here you go-- from AK press.
http://www.akpress.org/2005/topics/spanishrevolution

[Anarchist Instigator]

I've heard that Murray Bookchins: The Spanish Anarchists is an excellent read

[The Grapes of Wrath]

"The Spanish Civil War" by Antony Beevor, although I believe the new publication is called "The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War" albeit it is the exact same book as far as I can tell. Good book, very well researched and written. It does not really have a political slant, although Beevor tends to ignore finer aspects of the Spanish anarchism, esp. the anarchist collective movement, but still treats things objectively.

"The Anarchist Collectives" by Sam Dolgoff (good luck trying to find it though). Great book, I read it in college, the only place I've ever found it was in the University's library, I believe Amazon.com has it for something like US$44!! Ungodly high. It certainly focuses more on the anarchist collectives and less on the war; in other words, Beevor and Dolgoff complement each other by exploring aspects that each failed to mention in their respective books. But if you find it somewhere, give it a go, it was fun to read.

TGOW

[Y Chwyldro Comiwnyddol Cymraeg]

Thanks for the tips...I shall research them further before buying one!

[bayano]

for journalistic approaches, herbert matthews and hugh thomas both have good books. there are some huge ones too that i havent read, at least three beyond nine hundred pages. and of course, ken loach's land and freedom (a movie)