Spanish Civil War

Next month I’m starting my second year at University and I picked for my optional subject the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939. I received a long list of books from my tutor and I searched for books on my own. Here is the initial list of books I plan to either read or consult for my studies. In this round-up of books there is a mix of library books, books I bought and review copies too.

Like last year, I will update this list when I finish books, but only the read books having numbers. This way it will be easier for me to count them at the end of the year. Today I will give numbers to two books, as I’m currently reading them, so they will have their own number anyway (and rating as I read enough to be able to give a rating). In this round-up I will share the rating I gave a book and, of course, a sentence or two with a bit more details about it. Some books do not appear in the picture, as I forgot to include them. I might also borrow/buy more books too.

Spanish Civil War. List of books I read (all have reviews on this website, just browse or search for the ones you might be interested in):

non-fiction
1. The Spanish civil war, 1936-1939 by Frances Lannon – 5 stars. It is a concise history with lots of pictures to create an overview of the fighting and the course of the war.
2. Doves of War: Four Women of Spain by Paul Preston – 5 stars. There are four biographies of women volunteers in the war, each with her interesting story, from both sides of the war.
3. Famous Faces of the Spanish Civil War: Writers and Artists in the Conflict 1936-1939 by Steve Hurst – 4 stars. It was a good introduction, but I wish it had a few more people from the Nationalists.
4. A concise history of the Spanish Civil War by Paul Preston – 4 stars. A bit too biased for my taste, not as good as his book Doves of war (no2). I would recommend it to anyone reading on the Spanish civil war though.
5. A short history of the Spanish Civil War by Julian Casanova – 5 stars. Unbiased and great book. It would be interesting for anybody with an interest in the subject.
6. Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell – 5 stars. Interesting and even funny at times. I’ve enjoyed it.
7. Images of the Spanish Civil War by Raymond Carr – 5 stars. A great book, much more helpful to understanding the period that I imagined it would be.
8. Fighting for Spain by Alexander Clifford – 5 stars. A very good military focused book. I feel I learned a lot from it.
9. The Spanish Civil War by Stanley Payne – 5 stars. I learned a lot from this book.
10. Unlikely warriors: the British in the Spanish Civil War and the struggle against fascism by Richard Baxell – 5 stars. Well written, filled with interesting details, very helpful.
11. Defying Male Civilization by Mary Nash – 3.5 stars. A very good book on the Republican side of the war, but with very little on the Nationalist side. Considering that the subtitle is Women in the Spanish Civil War, I took out 1.5 stars for not talking about the Nationalist women.
12. Women and Spanish Fascism by Kathleen Richmond – 5 stars. Very well written, with plenty of interesting facts.
13. Memories of Resistance by Shirley Mangini González – 2 stars. Has some issues.
14. Britain and the Spanish Civil War by Tom Buchanan – 5 stars. I loved it. Tom is my tutor, so I’m a bit biased, but I think the book is very well written and fascinating, so I would highly recommend it.
15. Milicianas. Women in Combat in the Spanish Civil War by Lisa Margaret Lines – 4 stars. Good, well written, extensive research, it helped me understand better the role the milicianas played in the war. It is a bit repetitive, hence the 4 stars.
16. Free women of Spain by Marta Ackelsberg – 4 stars. A great introduction book, well worth reading.
fiction
1. Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom – 5 stars. Interesting story, even thought the epilogue was a bit of a let down for me.
2. The Seamstress by María Dueñas – 4 stars. A bit too long, but I enjoyed it.
3. For whom the bell tolls by Ernest Hemingway – 4 stars. A great book, worth reading.
4. A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende – 3 stars. Not great, but it would be more interesting for a historian than a fan of fiction.

Spanish Civil War. Other books, not read cover-to-cover:

non-fiction
Impact of the Spanish Civil War on Britain: War, Loss and Memory (Sussex Studies in Spanish History) by Tom Buchanan
I am Spain: The Spanish Civil War and the Foreigners Who Went to Fight Fascism by David Boyd Haycock
Fighters against fascism: British heroes of the Spanish Civil War by Max Arthur
The battle for Spain: the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939 by Antony Beevor
Memorials of the Spanish Civil War by Colin Williams
The Spanish Civil War: reaction, revolution and revenge by Paul Preston
Franco’s international brigades : adventurers, fascists, and Christian crusaders in the Spanish Civil War by Christopher Othen
Welsh blockade runners in the Spanish Civil War by P. M. Heaton
The Spanish Civil War by Hugh Thomas
The Spanish labyrinth: an account of the social and political background of the Spanish Civil War by Gerald Brenan
Spain: dictatorship to democracy by Raymond Carr
Spain: a history by Raymond Carr
Franco by Stanley Payne
Franco by Paul Preston
fiction
Guernica by Dave Boling