The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky (1999) — A wide-ranging account of the Basque people, their language (the oldest surviving language in Europe), their history of independence, and their role in global trade, whaling, and cod fishing. Kurlansky writes with accessible enthusiasm, and the book provides the context for understanding why Bilbao and the Basque Country feel so different from the rest of Spain.
The Weight of the Dead by Brian McGilloway — A thriller set partly in the Basque Country during the ETA conflict years, useful for understanding the political history that shaped modern Bilbao's anxieties and aspirations. Fiction as a way into the recent past.
Gehry Talks: Architecture + Process by Frank Gehry (2002) — Gehry in his own words on how buildings, including the Guggenheim, are designed. Reading it before seeing the museum changes the experience: the titanium panels, the irregular forms, the way natural light is handled — all of it was deliberate, and Gehry explains why.