GUIDEBOOKS · TRAVEL
David Baird
Also known as: Baird, David.
Composer and theatre director who has published books on a wide range of subjects including film, art, Shakespeare, and spirituality.
This is a map of Spain.
— from Spain
Most acclaimed
Texas
"Track the facts about the Alamo, the Galveston hurricane, and the great state of Texas! When Jack and Annie came back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #30: Hurricane Heroes in Texas, they had lots of questions. Why is Texas called the Lone Star State? What was the Alamo? When was the Galveston hurricane? Why was it so terrible? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts about Texas. Filled with up-to-date information, photographs, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discover in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures. Did you know that there's a Magic Tree House book for every kid? Magic Tree House: Adventures with Jack and Annie, perfect for readers who are just beginning chapter books Merlin Missions: More challenging adventures for the experienced reader Fact Trackers: Nonfiction companions to your favorite Magic Tree House adventures"-- "A history of the state of Texas including the Galveston hurricane of 1900"--
Spain
"An excellent, balanced discussion of important controversies."--Juan Linz, author of Totalitarian and Authoritarian Regimes. "Payne's revivalist presentation of a broad continuity of Spain's history, centered on its Castilian heartland, unfailingly maintains the standards of balance and objectivity that have always been the hallmark of his endeavor."--Robert A. Stradling, author of The Irish and the Spanish Civil War. "Concise, engaging, and above all scholarly, this volume offers a nuanced and sophisticated understanding of Spanish history."--Julius Ruiz, author of Franco's Justice. From bloodthirsty conquest to exotic romance, stereotypes of Spain abound. This new volume by distinguished historian Stanley G. Payne draws on his half century of experience to offer a broadly chronological survey of Spanish history from the Visigoths to the present. Who were the first "Spaniards"? Is Spain a fully Western country? Was Spanish liberalism a failure? Examining Spain's unique role in the larger history of Western Europe, Payne reinterprets key aspects of the country's history. Topics include Muslim culture in the peninsula, the Spanish monarchy, the empire, and the relationship between Spain and Portugal. Turning to the twentieth century, Payne discusses the Second Republic and the Spanish Civil War. The book's final chapters focus on the Franco regime, the nature of Spanish fascism, and the special role of the military. Analyzing the figure of Franco himself, Payne seeks to explain why some Spaniards still regard him with respect, while many others view the late dictator with profound loathing. Framed by reflections on the author's own formation as a Hispanist and his evaluation of the controversy about "historical memory" in contemporary Spain, this volume offers deeply informed insights into both the history and the historiography of a unique country. --Book Jacket.