"The Spanish civil war retains a mythic, romantic status that shows no signs of abating. It is seen by many in simplistic terms as a just war, a war between good and bad, between the forces of fascism and anti-fascism. On the one side there are the forces of the Republic, representing all that is good, and on the other the forces of General Franco and his fascist supporters Hitler and Mussolini. The truth is, inevitably, a good deal more complex, with little room for the romantic notions that have long been nurtured by those on the Left."

Interesting review of Anthony Beevor's 'Battle for Spain' at the LondonBookReview.com site ( http://www.londonbookreview.com/lbr0025.html).