At the time of the sacking of Rome, this Gothic prince fell in love with Placidia, the sister of the Emperor Honorius; and after the fashion of his people, carried her away as his captive; not an unwilling one, we suspect, for we learn of her great devotion to her brave, strong wooer, with blond hair and blue eyes. Ataulf took his fair prize to the city of Narbonne in southern France, and made her his Queen. But when Constantius, a disappointed Roman lover of Placidia's, instigated Honorius to send an army against him and his Goths, he withdrew into Spain, and established his court with its rude splendor in the ancient city of Barcelona.

-from Chapter V

With a verve and liveliness worthy of a novelist, American writer MARY PLATT PARMELE (1843-1911) put her unique stamp on world history with her series of clever, concise histories, condensed tales of the world's great nations that encompassed the essential facts necessary for appreciating the state of the world as she saw it.

With this book, first published in 1898 and updated in 1908, she introduces American readers to the dramatic past of the peoples and nation of Spain.

From the "adventurous Phenicians" who put their mark on Iberia as early as 1300 B.C. to the contentious relationship between Spain and the U.S. during much of the 19th century, this is the exhilarating tale of a country newly joined in great friendship with America as the 20th century dawned.

OF INTEREST TO: readers of European and classical history

Parmele's books available from Cosimo Classics include:

* The Evolution of an Empire: A Brief Historical Sketch of France

* The Evolution of an Empire: A Brief Historical Sketch of the United States

* A Short History of France

* A Short History of Germany

* A Short History of Rome and Italy

* A Short History of England, Ireland and Scotland