Best Books on All Things Spain

Whatever your literary preferences, we’ve rounded up a selection of the top books (by reader reviews) of Spain-related literature.

Throughout this post we’ve included direct links to each book on Amazon Spain. Other options, such as your local bookshop or department stores (El Corte Ingles, Fnac, Casa del Libro) may not have all the titles.

Some books may be available for free if you belong to Kindle Unlimited, sign up for a free 30-day trial.

History

Spain: What Everyone Needs to Know by William Chislett: “a concise but nuanced account of the history of Spain”.

Still getting good reviews is Jan Morris’ Spain, first published in 1964.

Also take a look at Ghosts of Spain by Giles Tremlett: Travels through a country’s hidden past.

Food

Of course, we need to start off with the book from our friends at Spain Buddy: The Spain Buddy Easy Spanish Recipe Book.

Also take a look at:

Rick Stein’s Spain: 140 new recipes inspired by my journey off the beaten track
Traditional Christmas Recipes of Spain
200 Tapas & Spanish Dishes

Language

Even though we can use many different apps to learn Spanish, sometimes a textbook or reference book can come in handy. Here’s a selection:

The Big Red Book of Spanish Vocabulary: 30,000 words through cognates, roots and suffixes
Complete Spanish All-in-One
Collins: choose from Spanish Conversation, Spanish Grammar & Practice, Complete Spanish

Fiction

Take a look at the Secrets of Spain trilogy by Caroline Angus Baker which tell the story of two families separated by the Spanish Civil War and reunited in 21^st century Spain:

If you haven’t already, read Don Quixote by Cervantes (or try the abridged version) or top translated novels by Gabriel García Márquez: One Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera.

Humour

Joe Cawley’s tales of life in Tenerife: how the chance to escape from a dreary life in England didn’t go quite according to plan (if there ever was a plan!). Available as a set of 3 books (or buy separately)