“I don’t have an ideology—I have a library,” says Arturo Pérez-Reverte (born 1951), and “A History of Spain” powerfully illustrates his approach. A former military reporter, an invariably brilliant publicist, the celebrated author of historical, military, and adventure novels, the creator of the series about Captain Diego Alatriste—some years each week, he wrote the history of Spain for the magazine XL Semanal. Readers, driven by his interpretations, shattered plenty of copies, and the book that resulted sold in his homeland in an enormous run. Looking at the story of Spain—its origins through the 1980s—Pérez-Reverte does it with a clear-eyed view, presenting it in a way that is funny, sharp, and very unorthodox. Deeply understanding historical processes, with a wide outlook and guided by common sense, he treats history subjectively—and does not even try to hide it. “My only goal,” he writes, “was this: to have a good time, read a few things over, and enjoy it.” The goal is achieved—so now the reader can’t help being drawn into this masterful narrative packed with vivid details, worthy both of a place among the best examples of popular literature and of being studied alongside the work of academic historians.