English as a Second Language (ESL) has become more important in the Spanish education system than ever. Among other goals, the system aims to provide bilingual training from a very early age; therefore, students are exposed to English for many hours in different subjects. However, as teachers, we cannot settle for quantity but must strive for the quality of teaching (Sevilla-Vallejo, Elaboration of ESL 422-23). Therefore, the methodology and the materials used in the classroom should be a

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... ty in the teaching process. Moreover, there are some significant challenges to defining a comprehensive frame for the curriculum, not least of which is the continuity between primary and secondary education: what is taught at primary level must create a foundation for that which is learnt at secondary (Brewster and Ellis 10). In this regard, the practical nature of primary teaching is seen as highly beneficial, since active learning, wherein students "do" rather than "listen," attaches "real meaning" to the lesson content (Cambridge Primary English Guide 38). It is debatable as to what extent the Spanish education system has built a comprehensive and participatory model of English teaching. In order to find out, it is essential to know the history of the manuals that have been used. La enseñanza del inglés en España (ss. XIX-XX): análisis contrastivo de manuales empleados en los centros de Bachillerato is one such text which provides that history. It gives a thorough review of the way English has been taught in Spain and the manuals which were available to teachers during this time period. It is interesting how it contextualizes both the interest in English culture and language, and the changes that have occurred in how the learning of English has been understood. The book consists of three main chapters: firstly, the authors offer a historical development of English teaching in Spain, beginning with the Middle Ages and going into more depth regarding the situation in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; the second