yers's review against another edition
5.0
This is a well-balanced / researched book. The Author takes his time to show you as many sides as possible to lead you to your own conclusion. Many historical facts can be learned and absorbed. If you know nothing about Basque History and its lengthy stamp on European/World History this is a great start. Highly recommend.
sydneydismukes's review against another edition
5.0
Oso liluragarria!
I fell in love with Basque history and culture during a recent trip to St. Jean-de-Luz and San Sebastián (or should I say Donibane Lohitzune and Donostia). I knew almost nothing about this region before traveling there, though I had watched Ocho Apellidos Vascos in one of my college Spanish classes. From that movie I gleamed the Basques were a rough, loud group of people who had very long surnames, were proud of their culture, and occasionally committed terrorist acts to gain more independence (joking...sort of).
However, this book and my trip to the Basque region opened my eyes to the truly ancient, beautiful, and complex history of these people. They built and sailed Colombus's ships, they were the first to circumnavigate the globe (not Magellan, contrary to popular belief), they speak one of the oldest languages - if not THE oldest - in the world. They have survived through many tumultuous periods of history and will continue to do so for generations to come.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who will be traveling to Spain or anyone who simply wants to learn the history of one of the most fascinating and ancient nations in the world!
I fell in love with Basque history and culture during a recent trip to St. Jean-de-Luz and San Sebastián (or should I say Donibane Lohitzune and Donostia). I knew almost nothing about this region before traveling there, though I had watched Ocho Apellidos Vascos in one of my college Spanish classes. From that movie I gleamed the Basques were a rough, loud group of people who had very long surnames, were proud of their culture, and occasionally committed terrorist acts to gain more independence (joking...sort of).
However, this book and my trip to the Basque region opened my eyes to the truly ancient, beautiful, and complex history of these people. They built and sailed Colombus's ships, they were the first to circumnavigate the globe (not Magellan, contrary to popular belief), they speak one of the oldest languages - if not THE oldest - in the world. They have survived through many tumultuous periods of history and will continue to do so for generations to come.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who will be traveling to Spain or anyone who simply wants to learn the history of one of the most fascinating and ancient nations in the world!
blueskygreentreesyellowsun's review against another edition
2.0
It was interesting, but not as well written as Salt: A World History.
zhollows's review against another edition
3.0
No footnotes always makes me weary of historical non-fiction. There are clearly some errors in this one. However, this book was quite entertaining and had some good anecdotes. I did learn a lot from this book. And the author interview at the end of this cd was actually what made me appreciate this book a lot more. Kurlansky's heart is in the right place, his research just falls a little short.