A Glorious Task - The Eighteen Dukes of Veragua and Their Horses, traces the lives and exploits of Christopher Columbus and his many illustrious descendants from 1492 and the discovery of the New World right up to the present day. While the book's principal focus deals with the world-renowned Arabian horses of Don Cristobal Colón y Aguilera, the XIV Duke of Veragua (1879-1936), it also contains an enormous amount of data about his colorful life, breeding exploits and tragic murder at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
The engrossing book includes a variety of long-forgotten information and interesting anecdotes which encompass over 500 years of Spanish history. The Spanish aristocracy, their livestock breeding methods, the Second Republic and the nation's tragic Civil War and much, much more are all woven into an elaborate tapestry which will delight the reader's eyes. The book's pages also include several never before published letters by Lady Judith Wentworth of Crabbet Park which she sent to W.R. Brown and surprising statements by both sons of Count Joseph Potocki that relate the true facts about Skowronek's history and pedigree. Linda White of the Arabian Horse Times Magazine characterized the content of A Glorious Task as "unprecedented in detail and accuracy."
The deluxe edition's 269 pages are embellished with over 300 extremely rare images derived from old paintings, engravings and unique unpublished black and white photographs from the personal archives of the Duke's family. Amongst them are over 200 images of Veragua's near-legendary Arabian horses that were photographed by Diego González Ragel (1893-1951), the official photographer of the Republican regime throughout the siege of Madrid (1936-39). This book is a gold mine of information for aficionados of Arabian horses and the culture and history of Spain.