Originally published in 1943, Brenan's comprehensive account of the Spanish Civil war catapulted him to the status of cultural icon. A witness to the war with clear sympathies for the Spanish Left, Brenan's passion for his adopted country colors his analysis of the war. It's still a tremendously good book, vivid in its details of the war and the heartbreak it visited on the Spanish Republic.  (SPN74, $22.99)