Captivating HistoryThe Basques: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Basque Country, Starting from Prehistory through Roman Rule and the Middle Ages to the Present

The history Basque people has always interested me so when I saw this book I wanted to read it. I'm old enough to remember the separatist movement and the ETA in real time. I've always wondered why they became a people separated into two countries and now I know. This book does a good job of outlining the rulers, the history/events and the different groups within the Basque culture. You can get bogged down in the first of the book with the many battles and who was on whos side as well as changes in the royalty but it all gets you where you want be to be, understanding how they got to the place they are now. Good read with a lot of information. I always like it when a history book actually states there are things about the history of a people that only more study and research will uncover, the origins of the Basque seem to fall into that category. Good read!

It was goodah And interesting. Didn’t me Their blood type O negative and positive are common in this region. Yes

Interesting history of a people who had settled in an area that they could make their own. Covering hundreds of years of struggles with the French and also with Spain takes many surprising turns. Makes me want to learn more about the people.

A good overview of the history of the Basque people through the centuries up until modern times! People that I knew very little about!

A National Basque Festival is held in my hometown of Elko, Nevada every year. Games, dancing, and parades are held on the 4th of July to celebrate two wonderful cultures coming together each year. Many of my best friends were Basque while growing up. First time I have looked into their fascinating history, so well done. Thank you for making this book available!

During the 50's I believe Life magazine published an article about Basque shepherds tending sheep in the Rocky Mountains . That summer we saw them there as we waited while the shepherds and their flocks crossed the two lane road. I wanted to learn more about them. Learning about the only indigenous people in Europe would be worthwhile .

This is a very interesting book that goes into detail of Basque history from the very beginning of time. They have preserved their language and culture all these years and through many wars and attempts to change them. My only criticism is the fact that it is just to much material and detail for a casual reader and not a scholar.

Tells slot about their history it is very interesting and informative. Tells about their government and ancient kings that ruled them. One thing they forgot to mention is that they have the most number of O negative blood.

The only word that comes to mind for this book is terrible. I’m not sure the authors did any research beyond what you can find on Wikipedia, and we all know how trustworthy Wikipedia is, don’t we? Come on, these authors don’t even know where the Basque Country is! Perhaps they need to go back to basics and learn which direction is East and which one is West.To make matters worse, there was confusion with a lot of dates, to the point where apparently Franco was a dictator from 1876 to 1920 (which isn’t even close). Oh, and let’s not forget that in 1975 instead of dying, he stepped down, according to this book.As a Spaniard, I found this book terribly offending and disrespectful of our history, however well-intentioned it was.And as the cherry on top, I’m pretty sure these authors truly believe the Basque Country is its own independent country and not part of Spain, which... It’s misleading at best, and truly stupid at worst.So, no, I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who’s actually interested in history or culture.

I enjoy history books but this is just awful. Despite what the blurb says on the back this is just a collection of dry facts strung together. Reading it is hard going and not very engaging. There are also a lot of factual inaccuracies in the book as others have pointed out. I wouldn’t recommend buying this.