ESPANA Y SU CIVILIZACION.

By Prof.Francisco Ugarte (Romance Languages).New York: The Odyssey Press, Inc.,1965. 368 pp. $4.50.

Francisco Ugarte's energetic and sensitive activity as an interpreter of Spanish civilization is superbly exemplified in this new edition of an earlier work which has become a classic in American colleges and schools.

Frankly designed as a classroom text, the book is distinguished by its clear exposition of factual materials, as well as by that pleasant and unpretentious elegance which is a hallmark of Don Francisco's writing.

Organized chronologically in 21 chapters, España y su civilizacion contains succinct and humane introductions to the geography and history of Spain, and traces Spanish achievements in literature and the arts. Separate chapters on the corrida de toros, the Spanish economy, education in Spain, and national psychological characteristics round out a sensible and exact introduction to Spanish civilization.

The specific innovations of the second edition are worth mentioning. Professor Ugarte has carefully revised the entire text of all chapters, with a view to bringing them up to date; he has added a chapter on literature of the modern period; and he has enriched the pedagogical apparatus by the addition of new exercise materials. Finally, the format and presentation of the new edition are vastly more attractive; it is a pleasant book to handle.

Certainly no "pocket guide" to Spain, this volume yet will serve the sensitive traveller to that country fully as well as the American student for whom it is primarily intended. It is a rich and supremely sane approach to one of the most misunderstood of Western nations.

Associate Professor of RomanceLanguages and Literature