COMUNICACIÓN Y PRENSA

• Javier Castillo Fernández 
• University of Granada: Almed, 2016

Anyone who has visited the Alhambra Library hoping to find out more about the troubled history of the Kingdom of Granada after it was conquered by the Christians will have been guided by staff to the work of this exceptional Granada historian.
Indeed, the Historia del rebelión y castigo de los moriscos del Reino de Granada (History of the Rebellion and Punishment of the Moriscos in the Kingdom of Granada), of which this Library jealously guards editions from circa 1600 and 1797, is a classic that is essential reading for students of this period. 
But who was Luis del Mármol Carvajal? This is the enigma solved by the book we are presenting today, which is based on the introduction to the author’s PhD thesis and on his firm intention to publicize the almost unknown life story of Luis del Mármol, his early life and education and the way he approached his work as a historian.
The book is divided into two parts:
The first,  Luis del Mármol Carvajal (1524-1600):  family background and biographical sketch, in which we will discover Luis the soldier, slave, courtier, traveller, lawyer, military auditor, spy, colonist and tax collector, and above all Luis del Mármol, the historian by vocation.
The second: The work of Luis del Mármol Carvajal within the context of Spanish historiography of the 16th Century, in which the author analyses the way in which Marmól writes history, his methodology and sources, in this case often excellent. He then goes on to analyse the book in its context, discussing its structure, its subsequent dissemination and how it was received.
The prologue is by the distinguished French historian, Bernard Vincent, who confirms the importance of this book for understanding history through the eyes of those who chronicled it. 

María del Mar Melgarejo Jaldo