Searchlight on Spain, unlike many other books on the Civil War, is not just an account of the author's experiences during a short visit to Spain in April 1937 as part of a British parliamentary delegation. Although the trip to Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia undoubtedly brought her into contact with the reality of the Republic and the Civil War, the Duchess of Atholl researched extensively for just over a year, writing a rigorous historical work on the situation in Spain.