The Basque History of the World

By: Mark Kurlansky

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

"The singular remarkable fact about the Basques is that they still exist," best selling author Mark Kurlansky says. The Basque people truly believe they should live in their own private country. This book includes their entire history, from their political and war involvement, to culinary taste, to economic and social life.

Inhabiting the small corner where France meets Spain, the Basque speak their own language, Euskera. Evidence of their culture showed up as early as 218 BC, and now, with a population of 2.4 million, their influence on our world has been all-pervasive. Listeners will be enthralled as Kurlansky delves into the roots of an intriguing population, and shows us why they continue.

Enjoy Mark Kurlansky's books? Listen to an interview with the author on To the Best of Our Knowlege.

©1999 Mark Kurlansky (P)2002 New Millennium Audio, All Rights Reserved

Critic reviews

"Entertaining and instructive...[Kurlansky] intersperses his political and military chronicle with lively anecdotes and digressions." (The New York Times Book Review)
"A delectable portrait of an uncanny, indomitable nation." (Newsday)

Politics, history, culture, food - what is this?

I was hoping for more depth on the people. I felt history, politics, food and culture were interspersed but it was more political history than anything else. I feel the organization should have been more defined in subject: history, politics, commerce, culture, food.

I do like Mark Kurlansky (Salt was superb) but this was missing the mark for me (no pun intended). The Audio version includes a great interview with Mark and it is rich with insight.

Good prep for Camino

I read most of this book before setting off on the Camino de Santiago. It was great prep for understanding what I was seeing while walking through Basque country. I wish I could see the recipes written down, though!

Excellent history of little known group

Very, very well written history of the Basques. Goes into great cultural and historical depth and how it affects even current day France and Spain. My first book I have read by this offer, and it was a great read. Amazing amount of research to put this book together.

Fascinating study of an ancient and current culture, as well as well researched history of the world

Who knew that the Basque civilization preceded Jesus Christ? The resiliency and ability to survive under multiple eras of foreign leadership is something that all countries could learn from. Their diplomacy, pioneering spirit, and seafaring culture is inspiring to all of us. This was a very enjoyable story well presented by the author, I enjoyed learning about economy, politics, and food culture from the basks through this book.

An enduring people

Mark Kurlansky is a fantastic author, and his books have been gateways to understanding for me. This book is no exception. It is an excellent history of an enduring people.

My family is from bilbao

I am more than delighted to have learned about my heritage it is a great book and would encourage all basque heritage to read it

First Rate

INFORMATIVE about this unique and ancient ethnic group, ENTERTAINING with many lovely cultural diversions into the local and traditional foods, and INSIGHTFUL about why the Basques are a chronic problem for the old-guard central government which has never been cleared of its fascist roots.

A Bit too Biased

This is supposed to be the history of the Basques. The writer, however, is too besotted by his subject matter to give an objective account of the Basque history. While Spanish duplicity and violence is given great attention, the same cannot be said for the Basque responses to Spanish actions or instances of Basque provocation. I'm still looking for a better history book or books regarding the Iberian peninsula.

Journalists are rarely good historians

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

It is an interesting story, at times. I thought it would be a more scholarly work. My mistake. I should have investigated it more before purchasing. Some of my ancestors were Basque so I was looking forward to a detailed history of the people. Mostly what I got from the book is there is little known about origins of the Basque or their language. The work improves when it turns to the Spanish Civil War and the Marcos era. The description of Guernica was chilling.

Did The Basque History of the World inspire you to do anything?

Seek out more scholarly works on the Basque.

Another winner from Mark Kurlansky

I've really enjoyed several other of Mark's books, and this one definitely continued the trend. Both enlightening and engaging.