Travel to Spain

Barcelona the Great Enchantress (Directions)

Format: Hardcover
Author: Robert Hughes
ReleaseDate: 01 June, 2004
Publisher: National Geographic
Rating:

An Abridged Version of "Barcelona"
This version appears to have benefited from aggressive editing, deleting much of the generally irrelevant material on Barcelona's history and Catalan literature and art, which may generously be described as undistinguished. Which is not a bad thing, since the original 574-page version, written in 1992 just after the Barcelona Olympics, is too verbose.

Hughes' real strength lies in architectural criticism, and here he shines. Readers who share that interest may well want to buy the 1992 version which discusses that topic in depth.

Neither book, unfortunately, has a sufficient number of pictures.

There is an excellent VHS tape of Barcelona [ASIN: 6303209777] that combines both ground and aerial footage. Well worth purchasing.
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A Barcelona Connoisseur
It whet my appetite for the cultural repast to come. I read this delightful book on a plane to Barcelona. Hughes gives a foretaste of the rich melange of language, history, art, and architecture that makes Barcelona and Catalonia so compelling. Though Hughes clearly loves this city, the writing is fresh and he mixes in sharp opinions so the book never cloys. Delectable.

A Quick Must Read
His use of Architecture tells a quick story of a strong and independant people, with Barcelona at it's center. Hughes makes the buildings, history and pride of the Catalan people come alive. His love of the city and people is evident in his story of his most recent wedding in Barcelona. The great thing about the book is that you want more, I'm happy he has a larger volume that covers the city and its eccletic history.

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