Abigail Krasner Balbale

This may be the single most stunningly beautiful book in my library. The authors collect a wide range of artistic, architectural, literary, and geographic images, rendered by brush, lens and word, and paint the history of early Castile through these images. It is a deeply interconnected and vivid set of tableaus that bring the land alive.

This is a scholarly work worthy of Gerard of Cremona.

From the title, this book sounds boring. However, it is far from boring. Although a scholarly work, it is written clearly and with panache. The subject -- how Castilian culture stems from three traditions -- is fascinating. The book also contains gorgeous pictures

Michele Dominy gave this to me.