#181 The Spanish Civil War (1965)

Author: Hughes Thomas
Title: The Spanish Civil War (1965)
Genre: History
Pages: 1,000
Origin: Bought in a second-hand bookshop in St Ives, Cornwall
Nod Rating: 4 out of 5

The Spanish Civil War is one that has long held fascination, as well as mystery, for decades of history and political readers. The befuddlement has come in the positioning of the war: a Second World War in miniature (as the author speculates), or one of unique internal friction special only to the Iberian peninsula. In truth, it is both.

Fought between 1936-1939, this confusion can be explained in the diverse political, religious, and nationalist groups taking part. These include the politicians and supporters of the republic, socialists, communists, anarchists loosely uniting to defeat reactionary, conservative forces including the bulk of the army, monarchists, Carlists, and fascists (Falangists). Each of these sides was not solidified in its support and union, with each grouping fearing the other, eager to make more gains, eager to destroy anyone against their own brand of ideology. Each side had a brutal atmosphere of infighting, whilst each smaller grouping had its own bickering and discord.

This inferno was further enraged with the introduction of the other superpowers (including fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, and an ill and failing republican France). This complex situation reaches the realms of bafflement for non-Spanish readers with the understanding of the regional differences, including Basque and Catalan nationalism. The mistrust and intrigue of two hundred years of Spanish decline ignite in these years, leading to one particular winner (Franco) and the promotion of an arch-conservative and Catholic Spain that endured until the fourth-quarter of the twentieth century.

Could such a history – one that gives due attention to each of these groups and situations - be satisfactorily written? The Worm himself has attempted a read of a previous book on this war, but admitted defeat once confusion set in and the words on the page appeared as strange as random numbers and exclamation points. No small book could hope to avoid such defeat; and the author of this volume – Hugh Thomas – spreads the action and analysis across one thousand pages. Much attention is devoted to the run-up to the war, including the years of the doomed second republic of the 1930s, as well as concentrating on running threads – religion, politics, society – from the past two centuries. The book is split into three sections: the rising and revolution, the fighting of the war, followed by the defeat of the republic and victory for Franco. The typical exchange of one side against the other is narrated; as well as the internal intricacies of this war: including the hopes of the revolutionaries within Spain (anarchists, communists, socialists, and falangists), and the charting of their decline and extinction.

As can be expected from such a mammoth task, there are a few bugbears throughout these pages. One is the imbalance of attention devoted to the first year of the war; in comparison, the second half of the war is visited in fly-by motion. Is this a reflection of the war itself, or rather the author’s own power to attention failing as the light of the end is sighted? More annoyingly is the attention given to the nations of the world, principally the main European powers as well as the USA. Of course, this war had numerous connections to foreign aid (that of Italy and Germany on the side of Francoist Spain, and the USSR on the side of republican Spain); however, this does not account for the willingness of Thomas to return to the apparent safety confines of Westminster and the endless commentary on the communications of ministers of Parliament. The agreements and non-agreements of the Non-Intervention Committee takes on a larger role than is needed within this history, and is evidence of a typical Anglo-bias from a British historian.

Yet for an attempt of making sense of a particularly wild piece of history, Thomas’ The Spanish Civil War succeeds in many ways where other lesser historians have failed. Since its first publication in the 1960s – at a time when the wounds of the war remained sore – it has survived in print and reprint throughout the past fifty years. The Worm thoroughly enjoyed the plots, the battles, the characters, and the fight that each participant – no matter how divergent their beliefs and ideals – believed was right. Such a significant war deserves a writer fitting to analyse and narrate; luckily, Thomas was, and continues to be, the man for this job.


Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Spanish-Civil-Hugh-Thomas/dp/0141011610 

#180 Superman & Batman Versus Aliens & Predator (2007)

Authors: Mark Schultz (writer) & Ariel Olivetti (artist)
Title: Superman & Batman Versus Aliens & Predator
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 110 pages
Origin: read on during August 2012
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

Only comics can bring about such bizarre and incongruous titles. When first flicking through a catalogue of graphic novels, the Worm was immediately caught to this particular one. A self-proclaimed Batman fan (as will be seen in a few weeks time with a forthcoming book review related to the Dark Knight), the addition of other characters only offers two possible conclusions: the most fantastic comic book ever created, or another failure based on trying to cash in on various markets. Let’s be straight: this is not the most fantastic comic ever created. But for a comic printed to make a quick buck, it is not all so bad. And allow the Worm to explain why.

Originally a two part comic series released in 2007, the story is set in the Andes and finds Clark Kent (and the ever, unfortunately, inseparable Lois Lane) on location for a report. Soon enough Kent is transformed into Superman and is buddied up with Batman, who are attempting to solve a riddle of dead bodies and “unusual activity” near a volcano. This “unusual activity” is soon found to be a group of Predators and various Aliens who have been stranded on the Earth for many years, ever since crash landing at some point during the last ice age. Our two heroes squabble over how to deal with this threat: Superman wants to save them before the nations of the world unite to nuke the area; whilst Batman believes annihilation is only way to safeguard the planet.

Such a plot outline might possess enough power to send many of you to sleep. But there is enough action within the series to keep the reader on their toes, including Batman grappling with a group of Predators who wish to cook him, and a weakened Superman (as per usual) going fisticuffs with an Alien. The very cheek and confusion of putting these characters together is enough to sustain interest. However, the element that keeps this particular book from falling into the pit of the 1 nodder damned is the art-work. Beautifully drawn, it is in bold contrast to the actual storyline. Olivetti shows a great talent, and one that would be better served beyond the confines of this cash-in idea.

This particular mini-series follows in a line of other titles (including Aliens versus Predator, Batman vs. Predator, Superman vs. Aliens, and pretty much any other superhero you can imagination coming up against bizarre aliens created in 1980s action movies starring the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger). It would be naïve to think that comic book publishers would stop printing such weak titles; however, with some tweaking of the storyline and the continuing employment of such artists, perhaps the worst abuses of these titles can be eradicated.

Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Superman-Batman-Aliens-Predator-Graphic/dp/1401213286/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1347721335&sr=8-1

Plymouth's Very Own Book Festival

Plymouth – the Worm’s hometown – has long been known for its naval dockyard and love of concrete cancerous buildings. But this week its cultural status has gone up a rank or two with the celebration of its very first International Book Festival.

The Festival kicked off over the weekend and will run until 23rd September. It promises to bring ‘the very best writers, poets, illustrators, musicians and spoken word performers from the UK and around the world’ to this city. A click on the link will confirm whether such a statement is fact, or perhaps fiction (depending on your own opinion and reading standards).

Whatever the verdict, such an event is a welcome arrival to Plymouth; if it is here to stay, the city can only thrive. The Worm urges all Plymothians to take advantage of this somewhat aberration on the normal “cultural” calendar.


Find out more here:
http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=38529

#179: My Ancestor Was An Agricultural Labourer

Author: Ian H Waller
Title: My Ancestor Was An Agricultural Labourer
Genre: Genealogy
Pages: 130
Origin: Purchased from Amazon during August 2012
Nod Rating: 2 nods out of 5

Family tree enthusiasts proudly boast of genealogy’s popularity on the internet, second only to that much supported viewing habit: pornography. Recent years have seen a massive boost to this past-time, of which many factors – improved resources on the internet, as well as popularity of programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are? – have seen a true renaissance in genealogical studies.

The Worm himself is currently in the midst of researching his family tree, and can attest to its addictive nature. Hence the purchase of this particular book, the rather mundanely named My Ancestor Was An Agricultural Labourer. Yes, we’d all like to trace our connection to royalty or people of importance in history; but as the book’s author, Ian H Waller, points out, nearly all of us have links to the English countryside in one form or another.

It is more than a simple guide to tracing sources; Waller takes a historical approach in the hope of generating more interest and educating the reader on conditions in the past. Most focus is on the Victorian period, including events such as the Swing Riots, the formation of agricultural trade unions, and the later agricultural depression. Of more interest is the description of the day in a life of an agricultural labourer, all of which thoroughly shamed the Worm in the contrasted decadent luxury of his own life (and shame you must feel, also, fellow readers!).

As a person who has studied and lectured on this topic, it is safe to say that Waller never runs out of something to add on this particular profession. In great and un-exhausting detail, he sets out possible routes of research: from basic records and newspapers to apprenticeship records and vaccination records. Such a breadth of activity suggests more than an interest – perhaps a love – with this area of study. However, Waller himself fails to bring much of these events alive for the reader. And as such, the book remains a read best served for those die hard family tree enthusiasts; a book needed to complete a section of research, rather than to be enjoyed on its own merits.

Buy it here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancestor-Was-Agricultural-Labourer-was/dp/1903462983

#178: The History of England. Volume I: Foundation (2011)

Author: Peter Ackroyd
Title: The History of England Volume I: Foundation
Genre: History
Pages: 450
Origin: bought from The Works for the bargain sum of £3.99
Nod Rating: 3 out of 5

A historian may be talented and have researched many nooks and crannies of the past that have delighted readers, but without that large focus on the broad reach of a nation’s history – the quest of the magnum opus – they seem to remain a figure not cut of heavyweight cloth. Peter Ackroyd has established a name for himself as one of London’s chief story-tellers – in both fiction and non-fiction – as well as publishing a list of books long and varied. Areas have been dealt with ranging from journalism to Edgar Allen Poe, from Oscar Wilde to Venice. But what of this work, his apparent ambition of the much desired and elusive opus?

The big theme has been concentrated on: a whole history of one particular nation and people. It follows in the footsteps of other popular historians, most notably that of Simon Schama and his three volumed work on Britain. But rather than deal with the whole of Britannia, in this devolved and politically fragmented times Ackroyd unashamedly deals with the largest nation of these isles: England.

The book begins in a land not so far away some 900,000 years ago, ending with the death of Henry VII in 1509. A large scan of history, even for a book of some five-hundred pages. For those readers who are accustomed to a “biography” of a nation, the start of such a book in the midst of time is no real surprise. The nation may change, but the pattern is usually the same: pre-history and the stone age, followed by the coming of the Romans, the vacating of the Romans, the feuding tribes of the Dark Stages, and then viola, we have the arrival of William the Conqueror. All of this is dealt with within 70 or so pages, leaving the bulk of this book to deal with the Norman and subsequent Plantagenet kings. Of histories on England, normal service is resumed: that is to say, a political narrative history based on the kings of England and their dealings with their back-stabbing off spring and their feuds with other kings of France.

This is undoubtedly a shame, and a routine that Ackroyd appears conscious of due to his parachuting of small chapters discussing life in a certain decade or century. These small chapters – some no more than two pages – appear to dig up some interesting local sources and stories. It is unfortunate that Ackroyd was unable to make more of these chapters, thereby side-stepping the usual political procession. Other disappointed points include the lack of proper time committed to the land of pre-1066, whilst the insistence of naming those in pre-history as “English” is annoying (especially given that there is no preface to explain the reasoning for this). Obviously such nitpicking – a forte of the Worm’s – detracts from what is a readable book, albeit one that lacks in full force of imagination.

Volume I completed, there is more to come. However, the Worm will be blunt to the point: if the usual story is written and printed, the future volumes will be avoided. There is enough already weighing down good bookshelves containing this plotline. Magnus opus, it is not. The quest, then, must go on.

Buy it here:http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0230706398/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0230706401&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=04W7ADTWF2VA7T1DVE8H