Hi all,
I just finished Anthony Beevor's 'The Battle for Spain'. I had become interested in the civil war after watching Ken Loaches 'Land and Freedom'.
It was a fantastic read, and I've learnt so much, but I want to keep learning, so I'm looking for other books on the subject. I see a great book on the spanish civil war by Hugh Thomas, thats been well received, but I've also been told that some of the info in its out of date, and more info has came to light since its publication, worth reading this anyway?
What book should I read now to learn more on the civil war? Should i start looking at each side, a book on the republicans than a book on the nationalists?
Thomas is still worth the read. His book is dated, but it has had a number of revised editions that have helped it stay current. I would look for one of those if you're interested in Thomas. There's also his student, Paul Preston, who has done a bunch of great work on the subject. He has a more pronounced pro-Republican bias, but once you get around that his research and writing are top-notch. His The Spanish Holocaust is excellent regarding the violence against noncombatants in the war. For anticlerical violence, go with Jose M. Sanchez and his book The Spanish Civil War as a Religious Tragedy. There is also Stanley Payne and his many works, all of which are worthwhile.
Once you have a good handle on the war, consider branching out. Orwell and Hemingway are excellent if limited by their own experiences. Jose Antonio Aguirre's memoir Escape Via Berlin is fascinating, in my opinion. There are also histories of the International Brigades if you're into that aspect of the war. Preston claims that nearly as many volumes of English-language study of the Spanish Civil War have been created as there has been about the whole of WWII, so there is a bunch to choose from. Starting with Beevor was an excellent choice. Move on to Preston/Thomas/Payne, then find a specialty and go for it.
We did an AMA last year, and you can find the Bibliographies that myself and /u/Domini_canes posted here. In my case it leans somewhat towards the International volunteers.
Let me second Homage to Catalonia.