Book excerpt: Madrid is but a nursling among the cities of Spain. Marius Fulvius laid siege to Toledo nearly two centuries before the birth of Christ, and it is not until a thousand years later that we find the first historical mention of Madrid. Despite the flattering and dignified official epithets that have been bestowed upon it, Madrid possesses many natural features which militate against its popularity as a residential center; but, despite its isolated and elevated position and the treacherousness of its climate, the city has not deserved the strictures that have been passed upon it by captious and prejudiced critics. For Madrid is a city of broad thoroughfares, magnificent public buildings, and handsome houses; and, since it has been rescued from its geographical remoteness by being made the center of the Spanish railway system, it has become one of the most accessible and prosperous capitals of Europe. In devoting a book to a historical and descriptive account of Madrid, the author is not only fulfilling a duty which could not be neglected in any serious attempt to make this Spanish Series useful and comprehensive but he is also inspired with a hope of being able to dissipate many of the erroneous and defamatory impressions that are current with regard to the Spanish capital. He has approached the task from the standpoint of a resident writing for visitors to the city. The Spanish metropolis is modern; it is imbued with the principles of modern progress; and while one never ceases to rejoice in the unfaltering, unchanging adherence to an immemorial past, characteristic of Toledo, one may feel an interest, equally keen and appreciative, in the spirit of new Spain which is to be found in Madrid.