The death of General Francisco Franco in November of 1975 ended thirty-six years of fascist-style dictatorship in Spain. The subsequent transition to liberal parliamentary government was remarkably smooth, particularly when compared to the recent difficulties experienced by other states, such as the former Soviet Republics and Eastern Europe. Ortiz traces Spain's success back to the development of a liberal tradition and a public sphere in the last decades of the 19th century during the Restoration period. He uses this era as a test case to demonstrate that liberal practices can develop even within a political situation where state institutions and the social infrastructure do not necessarily support them.

"Paper Liberals" dispels the notion that Western Europe ends at the Pyrenees and argues instead that, while on the periphery, Spain should not be excluded from the mainstream of European history. Clarifying a period in contemporary Spanish history that has been largely misunderstood, this study underscores the importance of the Spanish example as a comparative model to the countries customarily thought of as the European center (Britain, France, and Germany). Ortiz examines the formation and expansion of liberal political culture during the Regency of Maria Christina from 1885 to 1902, and he details the pivotal role of the Spanish press, which dominated the public sphere of Regency Spain, as the vehicle for this remarkable transformation.

WITH A NEW AFTERWORD "Baseball fans of all loyalties will enjoy learning about [Ortiz's] unique experiences in and out of the game." --Library Journal David "Big Papi" Ortiz is a baseball icon and one of the most popular figures ever to play the game. A key part of the Boston Red Sox for fifteen years, Ortiz helped to win three World Series, bringing back a storied franchise from "never wins" to "always wins." He helped upend the doubters, the naysayers, and the nonbelievers, and, as he launched balls into the stands again and again and again, he captured the imagination of millions of fans. Ortiz made Boston and the Red Sox his home, his place of work, and his legacy. As he put it: This is our f*&#ing city. In Papi, his ultimate memoir, Ortiz opens up as never before. The result is a revelatory, fly-on-the-wall story of a career by a player with a lot to say at the end of his time in the game to which he gave so much and which gave so much to him. "The rise of Ortiz from scrap-heap bench player to Hall of Famer is an unlikely and entertaining story, and engagingly told . . . The memoir lives up to its 'no-holds-barred' billing." --Washington Post

Upgrade your performance and diet. Get real and break free from the packaged bars and powders. Admit it, your idea of sports nutrition needs an upgrade. Are you still reaching for low-fat cheese sticks and peanut butter bagels for pre-event meals? Let's get real and break free from the packaged bars and powders. Active people, fitness lovers and athletes need practical guidance and proper knowledge about nutrition. Real Fit Kitchen is just what you're craving. Nutrition experts Tara Mardigan and Kate Weiler prove that the foods, supplements and beverages, that many think are aiding performance, are actually hindering and can be easily replaced with healthy, real, clean food. For example: - Instead of consuming chemical-laden and performance-hindering additives in packaged recovery drinks, make your own performance-boosting chocolate protein recovery drink. - Replace liver-damaging pain-relief medications that dehydrate and disrupt electrolyte absorption, try a tart cherry juice smoothie. - Substitute peanut butter laden with inflammatory trans fat and added sugar for muscle-rebuilding pecan cashew maca butter. More nutritious than store bought products, Real Fit Kitchen provides 100 healthy meals, snacks, smoothies, and more, including new ingredients (like performance-enhancing raw cacao, turmeric, and chlorella) to upgrade anyone's diet. Learn to make more efficient, cost-effective meals that your whole family will eat. Enjoy natural food, and replace sports nutrition unhealthy products that do not properly sustain an active lifestyle with delicious and easy recipes that the whole family will love. "Finally--a cookbook that combines common sense, nutrition science, and a passion for delicious food! Kate and Tara's recipes help us eat for an active, healthy, balanced life, with an emphasis on real, plant-based foods rather than highly processed bars and powders. I recommend this book to anyone looking for inspiration to create delicious, satisfying meals. I wish all of my patients would take this book to heart--the world would be a happier, healthier place!" - Dara Lee Lewis, M.D., FACC, instructor, Harvard Medical School and cardiologist, Lown Cardiovascular Center "Tara and Kate are one of the greatest teams nutrition has ever seen. Their blockbuster playbook of recipes and eat-to-win advice is a must-read for anyone who wants to take care of their body. I learned a new fact on every page and will eat much better from now on because of it." - Jon Meterparel, play-by-play voice of Boston College Football and Basketball on the IMG Sports Network and play-by-play talent, ONE World Sports TV Network

Through an extraordinary ability to perform under pressure, David Ortiz has gone from toting the heavy burden of potential to being one of the most celebrated performers in baseball history. Along the way, a baseball legend was born: BIG PAPI. Raised in the Dominican Republic, signed by the Seattle Mariners, and released by the Minnesota Twins, David Ortiz landed in baseball-crazy Boston, of all places. Generally regarded as an underachiever to that point in his career, Ortiz blossomed into one of the most feared and adored sluggers in baseball while altering the course of the game's history, helping Boston win its first World Series in eighty-six years and thereby breaking the infamous "Curse of the Bambino."Along the way, Ortiz established his place as a truly Ruthian figure in the annals of our national pastime: an imposing figure in the batter's box, yet an endearing man to the young, particularly in his native Dominican Republic, where he has focused his charitable efforts on improving the health of children. The son of two caring parents, and a loving father of three, Ortiz is a hero to many. Now, in his memoir, the man affectionately known as "Big Papi" recounts his life from growing up in an impoverished area of the Dominican Republic (where baseball is king) to his ascension in Boston (where he became one). Ortiz discusses, in detail, his historic and record-setting performances as a member of the Red Sox, his exploding popularity, the challenges of playing inBoston, and life in the Red Sox clubhouse. BIG PAPI is a unique memoir by a charismatic man who appeals to young and old, on the baseball field or off.