The Spanish Labyrinth (full title: The Spanish Labyrinth: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War) by Gerald Brenan, is an account of Spain's social, economic and political history as a background to the Spanish Civil War. First published in 1943, it has stayed in print, with repeated reissues. Together with works by noted Hispanists such as Paul Preston, Raymond Carr, Burnett Bolloten, and Hugh Thomas, The Spanish Labyrinth is deemed to be essential background reading for studies of Spain and its history.