Rating: 
Summary: Trust the negative reviews and save your time
Review: Is there substance? Yes, not a lot, but there is a brief overview of history here.
Is there fluff? Oh hell yes and way too much of it. There are just way too many asides and way too much focus on kings rather than conditions. For example, he explains that Caesar may have had a homosexual escapade in Spain. NOT PERTINENT and a little offensive to boot. Remove such things and you have about 50 pages of worthy reading and I have to question some of his findings in those 50.
He goes to great lengths to brush over Spanish atrocities in the New World and at Home, claiming they are basically English racism towards the Spanish designed as a PR campaign against. I have no doubt that such existed as the two countries have long had problems, but that doesn't mean the Spanish Conquistadors weren't brutal (and downright evil at times). And the Inquisition should never have detractors. The most telling moment of the book happens, after detailing this "racism", he then goes on another aside to tell how the Irish sold out the Spanish for a bottle of whisky. Holy crap is that the pot calling the kettle black and how any editor would let that slip through, calls into question the entire book. So I learned a little from it, but it's not worth your effort. Seek other books.
Rating: 
Summary: Avoid This Pamphlet
Review: Mark R. Williams could have written a wonderful book, especially for vacationers whose main interest is not traveling for the sheer joy of it, but mainly in order to improve their conversational skills. People who want to sprinkle their coffee with trivia would find a lot to say about the "Spanish Character" in this little treatise on prejudice and racism. Unfortunately, there is a lot of factual error. Those trying to impress their friends with quotes taken out of this book will be the laughing stock of their listeners. For instance, the author says that Cortes married the Cuban governor's daughter, which never happened.
Mr. Williams wasted his time studying history. He never understood the lessons of this wonderful discipline. To beguine with, he lacks the most elementary attitude any social scientist has to have -the quest for objectivity. He chooses to believe every myth that suits his purposes and discard those that don't. I am aware that a judgment so harsh has to be backed up. There is plenty of evidence to show but it would consume more space than I have at my disposal. As a mere example let me quote some of the sensational material included. Felipe II -He assures us- "had several statues of himself made, some with moveable limbs. These would be hauled out whenever a crowd or foreign delegation was deemed unworthy of his attentions and propped up at a safe distance from the throngs, who never suspected that they were cheering a dummy." Mr. Williams entertains a very low concept of his readers indeed! Racism is abundant as well. He manages to offend not only the Spaniards, but the whole of Latin America. According to his unlimited arrogance, "Spaniards found Indian Civilizations that they considered backward and inferior. It was the same "superiority complex" of every colonial power throughout history and NOT COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED." Can a "scholar" fail to understand the effects of geographical isolation? I could go on and on. If you are a serious reader avoid this cheap pamphlet.
Rating: 
Summary: Superbly researched, written and presented
Review: Mark Williams' The Story Of Spain is a superbly researched, written and presented one-volume history of Spain. Williams presents the engaging story of kings and poets, saints and conquistadores, emperors and revolutionaries. The personalities of Torquemada, Cervantes, Picasso, Franco, Saint Theresa, and more are placed within their historical and cultural contexts. Events, arts, architectures, and ideas that created the dramatic historical pageant of Spain are clearly presented in a sustained synthesis that engages the reader from first page to last.
Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Overview fo Spanish History
Review: Mark Williams' The Story Of Spain is very well written and is easy to read. As a native of Spain who moved to America as a child, I have always longed for knowing more about the country of my birth. The history of Spain is complicated and verbose and I have made several attempts in the past at reading lengthy Spanish-text volumes on the subject only to put them down without completing them. I liken it to trying to read the entire Old and New Testaments - I just never seem to be able to get all the way through. That was not the case with Mark Williams' book. It grabbed my attention and kept it throughout the book. Having seen the volumes and volumes that make up the history of Spain, I understood that many of the details, albeit a lot of it boring was missing from his book. What the book did for me is instill a greater hunger to maybe get through one of the larger, more detailed volumes I have at home. Moreover, what Mark said about "Spain is different" is right on the mark. A Spaniard like me knows exactly what he means and I acknowledge him for making this fact known. Now if Mark would be so kind as to write a similarly captivating book on the Basques and the Basque Country in France/Spain I would be grateful.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Movie
Review: No wonder this book has not been translated into Spanish. It would be an absolute fiasco. "The Story of Spain" was so obviously designed to be a good seller among American tourists, that it would make an excellent Hollywood movie -such is the distortion of history!
The author did very little research or none at all, and never submitted the manuscript to the scrutiny of a Spaniard scholar. To prove what I am saying I need only to state that he committed the two most capital of the sins: first, to be wrong about Spain's Saint Patron; and second, to mix up the most precious symbol of hispanidad.
In page 44 you can read: "Popular legend says that Saint James the Elder (Santiago), believed to be half-brother of Jesus, brought Christianity to the peninsula around AD 40."
Some confusion has arisen over the identity of James, the Lord's brother, who was not one of the original twelve apostles, and St. James, son of Alpheus, also known as James the Less. Neither of them is Spain's Patron Saint. In about AD 44 King Herod Agrippa I beheaded the Apostle St. James, James the Great, son of Zebedee and St. John's the Evangelist's brother. This is the one we venerate. Every Spanish man, every Spanish woman, knows the difference. Ask them.
As for the symbol of hispanidad, there is one Virgin of Guadalupe whose statue lays in a monastery near Caceres, Spain. There is another Virgin of Guadalupe, with no relation whatsoever to the first one, whose picture was, according to tradition, miraculously imprinted on an Indian's cape, that of san Juan Diego. This picture (not a statue) can be seen at a Basilica in Mexico City. The latter was declared "Queen of the Americas" by the Catholic Church. Most Latin Americans don't even know that the first one exists, let alone that She is "the symbol of hispanidad".
Rating:
Summary: move on to another choice
Review: The one and only review within this book claims that Williams' work is the "best introduction to Spain's history". I would stipulate that this is not the case. It is indeed difficult to transcribe a nation's history from the Romans to the present. However it has been done by other authors in a much more succinct manner than Williams. The author's writing is labored and the book does not deal with any of Spain's history in nearly enough detail. The books publishers (Spanish) also make me question William's easy treatment of the inquisition and conquest of the Americas. This book in my opinion will not make one interested in finding out more about Spanish history. Stay with a more established author, such as Carr and preferably choose a book from each major period of a nations history. Three thousand years cannot be done justice in 250 pages.
Rating:
Summary: THE Story of Spain
Review: The Story of Spain by Mark Williams is an excellent history summary of Spain. In less than 300 (although large) pages, he can portray the history of Spain ("Europe's Most Fascinating Country") interestingly and in-depth. All points of Spanish history are touched on. Williams fully details the stories of the Iberians, the Romans in Iberia, Moorish Spain and Al-Andalus, the Reconquest, the Inquisition, the French Century, and 20th Century Spain. If you are looking to get a good handle on the history of Spain, I would recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: THE Story of Spain
Review: The Story of Spain by Mark Williams is an excellent history summary of Spain. In less than 300 (although large) pages, he can portray the history of Spain ("Europe's Most Fascinating Country") interestingly and in-depth. All points of Spanish history are touched on. Williams fully details the stories of the Iberians, the Romans in Iberia, Moorish Spain and Al-Andalus, the Reconquest, the Inquisition, the French Century, and 20th Century Spain. If you are looking to get a good handle on the history of Spain, I would recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Go for Carr's "Spain: A History" Instead
Review: This book is a cursory view of Spain's history. It is very easy to read, but I was a little put off when I found a historical inaccuracy in the very first Chapter. Williams suggests that the ancient Iberians "probably" crossed from North Africa, when the most accurate and current research (analyzing the metallurgical, agricultural, and linguistic customs of the Iberians) points conclusively to the fact that the Iberians had immigrated from the EAST VIA THE DANUBE VALLEY IN EUROPE. I admire Williams' love of Spain, a country that I adore as well; regardless, historical anomalies get on my nerves. I recommend Raymond Carr's book, Spain: A History instead.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting and superior survey History of Spain
Review: This engagingly written survey History of Spain hits the spot. Williams has a lot of material and a heck of a lot of conflict to cover, and he does it well. He starts in pre-history and is about as detailed as you can get for a survey. I had never heard of the Tartessos and the Guanches before, and though I don't know too much about them now, at least I have some idea of who they are. Williams covers the Roman empire and the influence of the Punic Wars. Barcelona was named after the royal family that included Hannibal, for example. He also explains the birth of Christianity, adding that Pontius Pilate was born in what is now Tarragona, and moves on to the fall of the Western Empire, the triumph of the Visigoths, complete with gorey detail and the arrival of the Moors. At first the History of Spain is the tale in great part of the Iberian peninsula. Before the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella, the central kingdom of Castille might have united with Portugal rather than Aragon. The chapter on the Renaissance is probably the best written, illustrating vividly how Spain brought together such diverse characters as Martin Luther, Suleiman the Magnificent, the Tudors of England and Montezuma of Mexico in one Century. Williams also discusses the evolution of Art and Literature throughout the book, never omitting to show that Titian, El Greco, Cervantes, Velasquez, Goya, Dali, Picasso, Miro, Machado and the like are responsible for diffusing and creating the glory that is Spanish culture, and sometimes too that which is not so Glorious. Williams doesn't neglect the Inquisition, how could he, but explains its birth, transmutations and really odd 'finish.' He also does well in explaining the lackluster years of the 19th century and the birth of modern Spain, with revolutions, 'pronunciamentos' and finally civil war, and the emergence of Franco. He explains regional unrest and is particularly good at showing how Catalonia and the Basque regions developed differently than other regions. He keeps the personality of monarchs and political leaders in sight, so much so, that if I were a Bourbon I might be insulted.In fact, this well-written and informative survey really only has one flaw, that is, more or less understandable given the subject. It seems slightly biased, a little too pro-spanish. Although Williams doesn't shrink from showing the flaws of leaders, he does however spend a great deal on what is called apparently "The Black Legend," the literary view of Spaniards as villains. While this is certainly desirable, it seems perhaps he goes too far, or that a bias permeates the book. He says the legend began with a hyperbolic monk in the Americas who exaggerated the abuse and murder of native americans by the conquistadors. While he handily refutes the claims of this one man, there are still some things which seem questionable. As early in the chapters on the moors for example, one wonders if the cruelty and debauchery he attributes to their most perverse monarchs doesn't find similar outlets in the worst of the Christian monarchs. He flatly states that many of the agricultural innovations of the Moors were really Roman innovations carried over by them. He rather underplays the cruelty of the Inquisition by saying it wasn't particularly bad or 'unjust' for the time, and that there were more Religious murders in England than during the Inquisition. This, while not out of the question, seems at least very arguable. He calls Phillip II's enemy, the Dutch leader, William of Orange, 'an essentially corrupt figure,' but doesn't mention how so or if there would be those who disagree with this assessment. In one refutation of 'the Black Legend' he gives the intermarriage between Spanish and native peoples in the New World as proof that the view is unjust. Obviously a simple smear is going to be unjust, but simply allowing intermarriage between a colonizing and colonized doesn't prove that there are no abuses going on. It is not that he doesn't have a point (one he's not alone in making) but it's an oversimplified one. He doesn't mention incredible caste systems that exist in Latin America, or that the 'Indian Leaders' of those countries could only come to power after great civil unrest and oppositions by the 'Spaniards.' And he has one really shocking line about native americans in Northern countries eking out their pathetic existence on reservations. While the reader will see his point, the very phraseology seems disrespectful of the native americans, as though they have no will or hope to overcome their oppression and as though there aren't people working on this problem even now. But that of course is not really a judgement about Spain itself. So, in spite of the fact that you may want to take some of Williams assessments or even his adoration of Spain with a grain of salt, this is still an excellent survey. There is much to learn and be introduced to, and Williams tackles the job with gusto. Each chapter ends with a list of sites germaine to the period, and the maps, of the Iberian portion of Spain only, are quite explanatory. This book is a singularly satisfying reading experience that really gives a first grade impression of a powerful culture. Certainly read this if you are planning on travelling there, or while you are travelling there. This would make an excellent companion to The Lonely Planet Spain which is really an excellent guidebook.
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