First published in 1936, Behind the Spanish Barricades chronicles the early months of the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of John Langdon-Davies, a seasoned journalist who was already well acquainted with Spanish and Catalan cultures. Having crossed the border on a second-hand motorbike, he experiences the exuberant atmosphere in Barcelona during its short-lived proletarian revolution. He also witnesses the horrors of war as he visits Toledo during the siege of the Alcázar, and tries to explain the background to the conflict through a series of interviews with individuals of various political persuasions.


This edition is closely based on the original 1936 volume and includes an introduction by the historian Paul Preston.