Part history, part memoir, part travelogue - a fascinating tour of Spain by an author who knows its history and culture inside out. Britons have been drawn to Spain for many centuries. It has played host to bloody wars and legendary love affairs that have shaped the culture, history and psyche of both nations. Over time, Spain has made its mark on many of our best-loved artists, thinkers, writers and royals. Intelligent, humane and idiosyncratic, this book tells the story of great British lives in Spain from the Pyrenees to Gibraltar and La Coruna to Valencia. In doing so, it vividly charts the tumultuous history of Spain, its people and its British visitors, from Catherine of Lancaster to Laurie Lee. Writing with warmth, colour and an eye for a great anecdote, Courtauld gets to the heart of Spanish life and sheds new light on this eternally fascinating country.