The History and Historians of Medieval Spain has been hailed as a classic since its first appearance in the English language. It is a classic, both in the etymological and everyday sense of the term: its rigour makes it the standard by which the discipline is judged, a book which others must try to measure up to, which sets the bar very high in terms of competence, commitment and responsibility in the profession (or ministry) of recounting history. It is also a book in which a tradition is refined by the individual talent of the historian Peter Linehan, whose personality emerges in every idea and turn of phrase.