- Coming Soon
- |
- New Releases
- |
- Offers
- |
- Featured Authors
- |
- Popular
- |
- Recommended
- |
- Our Favourites
- |
- Blog
9781845113940
Usually shipped within 10 days










0 Customer Reviews
Ibn Battuta was famous in his own lifetime during the 14th Century as the greatest traveller of the age. He traversed the whole Islamic world (from his native Tangier to China), and crossed over its boundaries in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. He was variously attacked by pirates, shipwrecked, marooned and kidnapped. His observations on political power, and on legal, commercial and cultural practices in the numerous places that he visited. give his Travels an enduring fascination. This narrative of high adventure rivals, or even surpasses, the explorations of Battuta's near contemporary, Marco Polo. Told with humour, irony and pathos, his travelogue is filled with marvels which blend idealism with reality. L P Harvey reviews Ibn Battuta's journeys and discusses the major themes of the Travels. He examines the financing of Ibn Battuta's adventures; how geography and natural history are presented by him; how the Travels engage with issues of race and gender; and the religious milieu through which Ibn Battuta moved.Harvey's account of the traveller reveals the vivid portrait of a man with his fair share of human failings, but who was nonetheless remarkable for his courage, unbounded curiosity, and for the candour and skill with which he reported on the world as he had found it.
Welcome to Books4Spain - the leading online bookshop for eBooks and books about Spain
Spain is not just about sun, sea and sangria, its about the Moors, the Reconquest by Isabel and Ferdinand (the Catholic Kings), Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar - better known as El Cid, Hernan Cortes and the conquistadors from Extremadura, Spain's Golden Age, Don Quijote, the Camino de Santiago, flamenco, Rioja, Ribera del Duero, paella, seafood, the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spanish football from world champions La Roja, El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona football clubs, Spanish painters such as Velazquez, Goya and Murillo, composers like Andres Segovia and Joaquin Rodrigo, Carmen by Bizet, The Peninsular War where the Duke of Wellington saw off Napoleon and his Marshalls, the Spanish Armada sent by King Philip II to invade England, beautiful regions including Catalyuna (Catalonia), Andalucia, or Andalusia if you prefer, Aragon, Galicia, Asturias and Cantabria, Spanish sportsmen such as Rafael Nadal and Fernando Alonso, world beating cuisine from chefs such as Fernan Adria - the list goes on and on.
For example, did you know that Spain has the second highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites - after Italy? It also has many UNESCO Intangible Cultural assets, including Flamenco, the Mediterraen Diet, the Castells of Catalonia and, added in December 2012, the Fiestas of the Patios in Cordoba Andalucia.
Authors such as Hemingway, Orwell, Laurie Lee, Gerald Brenan, George Borrow, Richard Ford, Washington Irving have long been fascinated by Spain and its rich history and culture and Books4Spain can help you to discover Spain. As a result, there are thousands of books about Spain and books set in Spain in English and Books4Spain has a fantastic selection in many categories, including books to help you Learn Spanish, Travel & Holiday guidebooks, books about Spanish History,Spanish Literature in translation, Crime Fiction books set in Spain, books about Living in Spain, Novels set in Spain, Spanish Cook & Recipe books and much more as well as books about Spanish authors and artists such as Federico García Lorca, Salvador Dali, Picasso, Bunuel etc..
In addition, we have created Spanish Themes to help you learn more about special aspects of Spanish history and culture. Currently Books4Spain has 3 Spanish Themes: Flamenco, the Spanish Civil War, and the Camino de Santiago Books within each of these Themes are categorised into books about People, Objects and Places related to that Theme. For example, you can find books with information about the cockle shell of St James, the Holy Grail in the Monastery of San Juan de la Pena and the Codex Calixtinus - the first travel guidebook for pilgrims in the Camino de Santiago Theme.
Our Partners



















