The history of Spanish is presented and told by Antonio Alatorre as he establishes the evolution of Spanish based upon documentary evidence beginning in the 10th century to present modern spoken Spanish. Walk with Antonio from a translation by his student along the different paths that flow into the great language spoken by millions today. From the earliest documented words to the present healthy vibrant Spanish spoken by millions across the planet as a forensic language sleuth we go along the historical journey.This is a remarkable book, for two principal reasons: first, its unique approach to its subject, treating language as a living entity; second, its singular method of analysis, in which Alatorre reconciles the diachronic and the synchronic, the historical and the periodic. That makes this book not only a precious linguistic handbook on the evolution of the Spanish language, but also a cultural chronicle of Hispanic civilization, and what is more, an exemplary dissertation on the relation between the collective mind and the material development of Spain.