Here's a list of books, some albums, and even a videotape, recommended by a variety of sources, including Ana Ravaya de Guzman and Ramon Maldonado Domenech, and a variety of ever-helpful folk on the Rialto (rec.org.sca). Right now they're in no particular order; sorry. Please note that I've read almost none of these so far, so you have only the reviews provided by Ana and Ramon to guide you! If you've read (or listened to) any of these, please send your reviews or comments to stacy@wagntrain.com. Order these from your local bookstore or from Amazon.com.

The Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience. Gerber, Jane S. The Free Press. New York, 1992.
Great book! With an extensive bibliography from which to branch out -Ana, Ramon.
This book centers around the pivotal events of 1492. The first half is a good introduction to the history and culture of the Jews living in the Spanish peninsula under Visigothic, Muslim, and Christian rule. The second half follows the wandering Spanish Jews as they attempt to keep their strong culture alive as they settle in other parts of the world - SBS.

Spain: The Root and the Flower. Crow, John A. University of California Press. Berkeley, Third Edition, Expanded and Updated, 1985.
A friendly introduction to Spanish history and the creation of the Spanish character. Lots of good information on relation between Jews and others, and lyrical descriptions of medieval life - SBS.
A little less dry than O'Callaghan's (below), more "personal" - Ana

A History of Medieval Spain. By O'Callaghan, Joseph F. Cornell University Press. Ithaca, New York, 1975. (Fourth printing 1992). ISBN 0-8014-9264-5
Very scholarly, detailed and academic - Ana. It is the best general survey that I have come across - Ramon.

The Rise and Fall of Paradise: When Jews and Arabs Built a Kingdom in Spain. Bendiner, Elmer. Dorset Press. New York, 1983.
Just gives a "flavor" of the times, and has some inaccuracies, but a fun read - Ana

Convivencia: Jews, Muslims and Christians in Medieval Spain. Mann, Vivian B.; Glick, Thomas F.; Dodds, Jerrilynn D., eds. George Braziller, Inc. and The Jewish Museum. New York. 1992.
About the 1992 exhibit at The Jewish Museum - Ana, Ramon.

Atlas of Medieval Jewish History. Beinart, Haim. The Israel Map and Publishing Co., Ltd., 1992. Translated by Moshe Shalvi.
Assumes a lot of familiarity with history, but contains excellent maps of trade routes, movement paths, and economic trends - SBS.

Spain: A History in Art. Smith, Bradley. Simon & Schuster. New York. 1966.
Big coffee table book. Lovely reproductions of pictures from Alfonso X's various works, all of the mid to late 1200s - Ana

The Iberian Stones Speak. MacKendrick, Paul. Funk & Wagnalls 1969.
This is all very early and has lots of nice statuary to look at for costuming ideas. There is also a section on jewelry - Lester Williams

The Iberians. Arribas, Antonio. Frederick A. Praeger 1964.
This is a truly great source for early period peoples in the Iberian continent. There are sections on just about every aspect of life including costume - Lester Williams

The Sephardic Tradition. Lazar, Moshe (ed). B'Nai B'rith Jewish Heritage Classic. Norton, NY 1972.
A nice collection of poems and short stories, showing some of the common themes of the era - SBS.

The Road From Babylonby Chaim Raphael

The Sephardi Story V by Chaim Raphael

The Jews of Moslem Spain by Eliyahu Ashtor

The Learned King : The Reign of Alfonso X of Castile O'Callaghan, Joseph F.

The Jews in Spain. Neuman, Abraham A. Philadelphia 1942. -
This is a fairly dry and dated series of books, but full of detail, especially pertaining to laws and politics in the period - SBS.

Illuminated Manuscripts of Medieval Spain. Mentre, Mireille. Thames and Hudson: London 1996

Jewish Art: An Illustrated History. Cecil Roth. Greenwich, Conn., New York Graphic Society [1971]

A Dictionary of Jewish Names and Their History. Kaganoff.

Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts. Narkiss,B. Jerusalem,1969.

A Jewish Book of Days. Cecil Roth

The Rise and Fall of Paradise. E. Bediner.

Jews of Christian Spain or A History of the Jews in Christian Spain. 2 vols. Baer, Yitzak Trans by L.Schiffman, Phil.1961-66.

God, Jews and History

The Medieval Spains, Bernard S. Reilly, Cambridge Medieval Textbooks. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-39741-3).

Medieval Iberia: Readings from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish Sources Olivia Remy Constable, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1997, ISBN 0-8122-333-5)

Historia illustrada del libro espanol: Los manuscritos espanoles. Fundacion German Sanchez Rupierez. Madrid, 1993.
A gorgeous book, volume one of a three volume set about the history of the printed word in Spain. The color illustrations of the illuminations, as well and the import taxes, are what make this book expensive! - Ana

Alfonso X and the Jews: an edition of and commentary on the Siete Partidas De los Judios by Carpenter, D. 1986.

"Christian Spain". in The World History of the Jewish People: The Dark Ages. Ed. by Cecil Roth, New Brunswick,1966. - Ramon

Crusade and Colonisation: Muslims, Christians & Jews in Medieval Aragon. Lourie, E../ Aldershot Hampshire & Brookfield Vt. 1990. - Ramon

Hebrew Poets from Spain. Goldstein,D. N.Y. 1966. - Ramon

Sephardim: The Jews from Spain. Diaz-Mas,P. trans. by George K. Zuker 1992. - Ramon

The Ancient Synagogues of the Iberian Peninsula. Halperin, D. A. Gainesville, FL 1969. - Ramon

The Jews as Portrayed in Early Spanish Literature. Resnick,S. Hispania 37 (1951) . - Ramon

The Function of the Hebrew Poet in Medieval Spain. Schirmann, J. Jewish and Social Studies 16 (1954) . - Ramon

The Sephardic Kitchen: The Healthful Food and Rich Culture of the Mediterranean Jews. Rabbi Robert Sternberg , HarperCollins, $30, ISBN 0060176911. A combination of recipes and menus with Sephardic history, lore, customs, and folk tales. Recipes include couscous, kebabs, olivada, stuffed vine leaves, arroz con pollo, bulgar soup, marinated artichokes, pilafs aplenty, wine biscuits, and many more savory dishes redolent of sweet herbs and heady spices and filled with fresh fruits and vegetables. (From a review by Sybil Pratt)

A Drizzle of Honey: The Life and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews. Gitlitz, David, and Linda Kay Davidson, St. Martin's Press, $29.95 352 pages. ISBN 0-312-19860-4
A cookbook of Spanish crypto-Jews -- Jews who outwardly converted to Christianity in the late 15th century, while secretly maintaining much of their original faith and customs. There are 16 pages of endnotes and a 6-page bibliography. The review indicates that the book contains redacted recipes. There is no indication how many recipes appear in the book and if the original recipes are included - Robin Carrollmann.

Fiction:

The Lions of Al-Rassan, Guy Gavriel Key.
This is a wonderful novel, not quite historical fantasy but only because the author resets the tale of the Cid and others of his time in a land with three fictional religions and two moons. A great book with good characterization, an involving plot, and a wonderful flavor of the era! - SBS

The Secret Book of Grazia dei Rossi, Jacqueline Park. The tale of a Jewish lady of Renaissance Italy.

Other:

Illuminations Jewish Calendar with pictures from the Golden Haggadah. Pomegranate books.

Iberian Garden: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Music in Medieval Spain, Vol. I., Altramar Medeival Music Ensemble. Dorian Discovery. # DIS-80151 (www.dorian.com)
This CD is most excellent. Each piece has its source documented & has an explanation/background accompanying it. All are performed on period instruments (reconstructed) as well as the original words, a transliteration and trans. in both Spanish and English. However, the title is misleading. Only 3 of the 14 tracks (both volumes) are Jewish in origin, the bulk being Christian. For me the MUWASHSHAH (on Vol. I) grabbed my attention most as it is the first period Muslim piece that I have heard. Ramon

Wings of Time, Pomerantz, Lauren.Walnut Creek, CA : Songbird Music, p1994.

Jewish History, an audiocassette series by Rabbi Berel Wein, from Shaar Communications, (800) 499-9346, Fax (914) 352-3433. They are both informative and enjoyable. They are all on cassette tapes. - Tzvi Black

A list of Sephardic music disks is found here.

From Toledo to Jerusalem, Teaneck, NJ : Ergo Media, c1990.
Very corny video. It has some nice views of Old Toledo, and it might give a flavor of Sephardic songs, but they're sung by a modern Israeli pop star and backed with synthesizer music! - SBS

Museo Sefardi in Toledo

This page is part of Chaiya's Sephardic World, a website devoted to the history and culture of Jews in Medieval Spain. The site is centered around the fictional SCA persona of Chaiya bat Avraham Toledano, created by Stacy Braslau-Schneck, the author of these pages. Chaiya is a Jewish lady living in Toledo in the 1230s. The SCA, or Society for Creative Anachronism, is an educational organization devoted to researching and recreating the Middle Ages.

I do not claim to be an historian, only a hobbyist. All errors are mine, all text is copyrighted to me, and all comments are welcome! "Yad/Return" image ©2001 Ilene Winn-Lederer

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