Aurelio Pérez has griten a very specail book, an original approach to the history of Spain as seen by someone who is not a professional historian but who has travelled and read tirelessy. It is a presented as a succession of sketches, episodes and landscapeswhich direct our attention to moments, facts and characters or their works, all of which have been relevant for the country´s development. He start with the political transition that took place at the end of the 20th century and proceeds going back to the pax romana and how difficult it was to impose it completely in Spain. The writer takes us so, backwards, contrary to the usual way of describing history, as his interest lies in offering keys to the understanding of the present, which must be the purpose of historians.