The history and culture of Madrid, the cluster of historical cities at
an easy distance (Segovia, Avila and Toledo) and the heartlands of
Castile - the core of Spanish civilisation.
This book performs with great thoroughness all the usual functions of a
guidebook. But it is much more than a mere inventory of buildings,
paintings, sculpture, routes and views, supplemented by appendices
packed with practical information. The authors - from their long
experience and deep knowledge of the country - are exceptionally
well-equipped to draw together into a coherent whole all the threads of
history, art, culture and recent developments. Theysteer you in most
rewarding directions, enlivening the hallowed hush of museum or sacristy
with an original interpretation of some great painter - El Greco, Goya,
Picasso - or an observation which suddenly illuminates the seemingly
unexceptional. Madrid, rather than just a political capital at the
geographical centre of the country, is revealed as a true metropolis,
genuinely representative of all the aspects and regional variations of
Spanish life. Its art collections are justly renowned as superb. Add in
the cluster of historical cities at an easy distance (including Segovia,
Avila and Toledo), to say nothing of the lesser-known treasures and
delights secreted in the heartlands of Castile, and you have, within a
manageable compass, the core of Spanish civilisation.