Wins on so many levels - Rated 
Homage To Catalonia is a book I have owned more copies of than any other. The reason is simple - I give my copies away to friends on a regular basis, and inevitably end up missing my own copy. It is the book which got me hooked on George Orwell, and one which I urge people to read at least once in their life.
Orwell was initially a socialist with a small 's.' He had a view of socialism which wasn't necessarily based upon any particular doctrine, and instead viewed the world as one in which various unjust behaviour existed, and he felt this was wrong not in terms of politics, but in terms of morality. Socialism for him was an ideal of humanity. At the end of 1936, with Franco's uprising in Spain, Orwell felt he could not sit and watch the events he foresaw from the sidelines, but had to get involved. His gift was as a journalist, not a soldier, but he still had the guts to move to Barcelona (where famously there is a square names after him), and take up arms against the fascists.
His support for the communist groups here changed his life forever. Many years later in his essay "Why I Write," available in his various volumes of collected essays, he stated: "Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism, as I understand it."
The reason for this mini history lesson is to explain what this book is. Quite simply it is a triumph of journalism, and the story of a man who finds his political ideals confronted on a daily basis, not only with words, but with bullets. Every line of this book one can tell is written with passion, with not one extraneous sentence or word.
So I urge you to read this book. If you are interested in politics, read as to why one middle-class Englishman felt the need to make a stand against fascism. if you are interested in history, The Spanish Civil War was a precursor to the events which unfolded a few years later, so you should read a first-hand account of someone who was there, not as a patriot, but as someone who fought for fellow men and women he never met. And if you want to read a piece of journalism at it's finest, you would be hard-pushed to find much better than this. All writers on the front-line owe some kind of debt to the work people such as Orwell pioneered.
Yes, I know I am a bit gushing and over the top with this, but it is a truly wonderful book. People remember George Orwell for 1984 and Animal Farm (as they rightly should), but his journalism was beyond compare.
One thing I would like to mention however is a review here which mentions this book is in praise of fascism. Please, please ignore such rot. Orwell, as his writing clearly shows us, was an anti-Stalinist socialist - the reviewer in question is clearly Stalinist, and quite clearly has an agenda based upon political ideals. Read this book as a wonderful piece of writing, not because it disagrees with another reviewer's agenda.
Story telling, travelogue, political awakening - Rated
This is a great book, it is Orwell's account of his decision to fight Fascism not simply in word but deed, travelling to Spain on an Independent Labour Party ticket, reflecting upon privation at the front, propaganda and political lying before getting shot in the throat for his trouble and escaping a political purge to return to the safety of England.
There is no doubt not a little embellishment of the facts, something Orwell was to reflect on himself in later journalism, because of his sheer enthusiasm for Spanish politics (he states his experiences caused him to embrace socialism) and enmity for fascism (he considers it fair to exterminate fascists like vermin). However, it is likely to be as fair an account as other popular accounts, such as Spanish Cockpit (Age of Dictators 1920-1945) or The Spanish Labyrinth: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War (Canto). For a more historical account consider Anthony Beevor's The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.
There are a lot of the aspects which later formed the core of Orwell's literary - political preoccupations after the struggle, concerns about truth, political lying, betrayal and speculative and personal sympathies for anarchism. Like most of Orwell's other "travelogues", such as The Road to Wigan Pier or Down and Out in Paris and London (Essential Penguin) its full of idiosyncratic observaions about life, its hardships and simple pleasures (such as buttered toast).
The Greatest Writer In History - Rated
Having just discovered the delights of George Orwells books,I was very surprised just how good this book is.I honestly thought that i would not enjoy reading the book as i thought the subject wouldnt be very interseting.But how wrong i was,i absolutely loved this book,i can reccomend it to anybody.So well written,an absolute joy..
Homage to fascism, more like - Rated 
Note how the great Orwell never says anything positive about those doing the bulk of the fighting against Franco - in fact, note how he barely mentions Franco and fascism at all! In the course of the events he descibes in this book, he spends most of his time doing nothing, like the rest of his Trotskyist and anarchist friends. Meanwhile, the Republicans, whom he slanders from afar, were fighting and dying in the front line against the Nazi and Italian forces who enabled Franco's victory. Note also how he never says a positive word about the Soviet Union, which was the only country to help the Republic, while the British and French governments helped Hitler and Mussolini to intervene.
Homage to freedom and equality - Rated
The Spanish civil war is possibly, alongside the Paris Commune of 1871, the period of history I wished to have taken an active part in. George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia is the best portrayal I've read so far on this period and an inspired and inspiring piece of literature. A very personal account of the war that doesn't neglect the social and political background, its implications and the influence it had on 20th century history. Ever wondered why the Spanish Civil war meant so much to so many around the world? Think you know what it really stood for? Ever questioned why the leftists (socialists, communists and anarchists) lost? Then this is the book for you.
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