In Running with the Bulls, Gary Gray grabs hold of us and takes us on a grand and intimate tour of one of Spain’s most passionate and historic cities. In 1926, Ernest Hemingway brought the frenetic charge of Pamplona’s Festival of San Fermin to life in The Sun Also Rises. Today, that same energy still exists for the hundreds of thousands of people who descend upon the city every July.

At the center of the celebration is the famous encierro - the running of the bulls. In this traditional event, thousands of thrill-seeking men and women race through the narrow streets of Pamplona just steps ahead of half a dozen angry bulls, each bred to kill and brandishing razor-sharp horns that can impale a victim in a split second. The goal of the corredores, the runners, is to usher the bulls into the Plaza de Toros where, that afternoon, each will meet his death under the sword of a torero, or bullfighter.

Gray, a professor at Penn State, has participated in the encierro every year for over two decades. He has befriended dozens of Pamplonicas, many of whom are closely tied to the inner circle of the festival. From this unique perspective, he leads us on several crazed sprints to the Plaza de Toros. He explains the history and pageantry behind the corrida (the Spanish bullfight), takes us to witness the religious pilgrims on their somber procession, and pulls us into a pulsing Spanish street dance. We taste the richness of each meal and fullness of each glass of wine, as the wonders of Pamplona are revealed through his eyes.

Aficionado describes a person who has passion for the bullfight. Gray, an aficionado in his own right, ignites the passion in each of us. At once a rousing adventure of an American man seduced and a beautifully rendered portrait of Spain and her culture, Running with the Bulls is sure to be a classic of travel literature for years to come.

A grand and intimate tour of Spain's most passionate and historic city, and at the center is the famous encierro-the running of the bulls.

GARY GRAY, Ph.D., is Visiting Professor of Finance at Penn State University and a former investment banker and managing director of Lehman Brothers and E.F. Hutton. He made his first trip to Pamplona in 1980 and has not missed a Festival since 1985. He lives in Lemont, Pennsylvania.