The Spanish Inquisition

In this completely updated edition of Henry Kamen's classic survey of the Spanish Inquisition, he incorporates the latest research in multiple languages to offer a new - and thought-provoking - view of this fascinating period. Kamen sets the notorious Christian tribunal into the broader context of Islamic and Jewish culture in the Mediterranean, reassesses its consequences for Jewish culture, measures its impact on Spain's intellectual life, and firmly rebuts a variety of myths and exaggerations that have distorted understandings of the Inquisition. He concludes with disturbing reflections on the impact of state security organizations in our own time. "'This book is the best general book on the Spanish Inquisition both for its range and its depth of information... Kamen reaffirms his contention that an all-powerful, torture-mad Inquisition is largely a 19th-century myth.' (Richard L. Kagan, New York Times Book Review) 'Mr. Kamen has presented a fine outline of this history, making good use of original material from the archives of the Inquisition in Simancas, Spain.' (Hugh Thomas, Wall Street Journal) 'A stimulating, provocative, and seminal study.' (John Tedeschi, Sixteenth Century Journal) 'Kamen's Spanish Inquisition is... learned, wide-ranging, and stimulating.' (John Edwards, Journal of Modern History)".