Spain and the Spaniards

This is not a penny dreadful but a serious historical work. Spain and the Spaniards (1899, copyrighted by Gebeet & Smith) presents a twenty-chapter narrative history of Spain from prehistory through the nineteenth century. The text begins with mythological and early historical accounts—Phoenician traders, Iberian and Celtiberian peoples, and the Basque language's supposed antiquity. It discusses Cadiz's legendary foundations by Hercules and Pygmalion, then traces documented history through Phoenician colonization and subsequent Carthaginian expansion under Hamilcar Barca and Hasdrubal. The work combines legend with historical analysis, addressing Roman conquest, medieval kingdoms, and later periods including Columbus, Isabella, Philip II, and modern Spanish monarchy. The accessible prose employs verse epigraphs and anecdotal detail, offering a popular historical survey rather than academic treatment.