The emphasis in these books is on cultural history.However，the early chapters give rundowns of the political conditions in their respective countries.Both titles feature discussions of daily life and religious concerns，as well as major artists and writers.This makes for an effective presentation，enhanced by colorful illustrations and graphics.In some cases，the main text is set off by full-page sidebars that give further information on related topics.For example，Cervantes is briefly mentioned in the section on Spanish literature，but he is given more coverage in a nearby box.Of the two，England is the stronger as Spain，which covers a period from roughly Columbus's discovery of America to about 1700，suffers from some redundancies.Overall，however，these are both excellent choices for libraries in need of materials dealing with European cultural history.