Alhambra Paperback – 1 Mar. 2005

To marvel at the richness, sensuality and atmosphere of the Alhambra in Granada is, as Michael Jacobs elegantly written account shows, to join a long and illustrious tradition. Equally enduring is the desire to understand something more of the life lived within its precincts and of the culture which produced its complex calligraphic and architectural splendours. Strangely, a search of the bookshelves may yield surprisingly little to a reader who wants to go beyond guidebook cliché but without trawling into the realms of academic debate. This volume endeavours to fill the gap in the literature.One of the great joys of the book are the superb photographs of Francisco Fernandez which on one level will act as a faithful record and souvenir of a visit or as an appetite whetter for a future one. Yet the great achievement of this particular work is the successful marriage of image and a fluent, informed text. Jacobs' approach is to offer a systematic tour of the site, closely matching commentary to picture page by page so that the visual and intellectual understanding develop side by side. Few will fail to gain new insights as a result, but nor will they find this a difficult read. The only problem as the author frankly acknowledges, is that much about the life and culture of the place will remain forever a mystery thanks to the paucity of contemporary documents relating to it. One of his most important observations is the recognition that thanks to fires, wars, neglect and over enthusiastic restoration what we see today is radically different from the original C14th conception of the Nasirids. Perhaps the most fascinating section of the book is Jacob's exploration of the Alhambra's influence on succeeding generations of artists, writers and composers who transposed their own fantasises about Spain's lost golden age onto this unique edifice. Whether your primary aim is to learn more about the Alhambra or just to revel in the visual glories of a stunning yet misunderstood masterpiece, this book is the one to go for.

I visited Alhambra a long time ago (1984), not only did this book bring me up to date but I could see much that I missed and learned its history. In fact this book shows you more than is on the accompanied visitors tour currently.

I bought this in conjunction with Robert Irwin's The Alhambra. Michael Jacobs provides superb photography and Robert Irwin provides an intellectual / historical / technical information. Would recommend both but this is dependnet on how mcuh pre- study / pre -understanding one likes to do before the visit

Present for moth. Said it was a butiful book that had I do she'd not read about before.

This beautiful book literally fell completely out of its cover the very first time I picked it up. It was bound in China.

Good mix of beautiful images & information - a wonderful addition to any travel bookshelf as well as to those who just like to look!!

Beautiful book love the pictures

Great background information on history, art and architecture, and landscape with wonderful pictures. I'm looking forward to actual visiting the Alhambra soon