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CZECH REPUBLIC AND POLAND
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All Rivers Run to the Sea • Elie Wiesel BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1996 • PAPER • 464 PAGES Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel recounts his remarkable life, from his childhood in Romania to the horrors of Auschwitz, his days as a young writer in post-war France and New York, his many pilgrimages to Israel, and his ongoing support Jewish of communities. (EUR153, $16.95)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay • Michael Chabon LITERATURE • 2001 • PAPER • 656 PAGES A dazzling tale that follows its heros from Nazi-occupied Prague to New York and the Antarctic, where US forces are stationed to keep an eye on the Germans. Houdini, the Golem, Hitler, inventor of the superhero Stan Lee and other mostly historical figues make an appearance in the lives of Chabon's protagonists Joe and Sammy. Even if you're not much interested in New York or the golden age of comic books (and are puzzled by swoops and twists of the comic-book plot), you'll appreciate Chabon's flair for language and his characters. It won a Pulitzer. (ANT175, $17.00)
Another Beauty • Adam Zagajewski • Clare Cavanagh • Susan Sontag BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2002 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A quirky, lyrical memoir of coming of age in Poland in the 1960s and 1970s by the influential poet of the Polish New Wave. Zagajewski looks back on his life and particularly time in Cracow as a philosophy student, dissident and young writer. The title is alternatively translated as In the Beauty of Another and, as is abundantly clear from this memoir, a search for beauty has preoccupied him. Susan Sontag, who provides the introduction, calls Another Beauty a wise and iridescent book which dips in and out of many genres. It's many things: a coming-of-age-memoir, commonplace book, collection of vignettes and portraits, and a defense of poetry. (PLD37, $19.95)
Architecture of New Prague 1895-1945 • Rostislav Svacha • Alexandra Buchler • Jan Maly ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1995 • HARD COVER • 544 PAGES Originally published in Czech in 1985, this groundbreaking book stakes out the first half of the 20th century as a seminal period for Czech architecture. It's a major scholarly survey of cubist, rondocubist and constructivist contributions to Prague, with site plans, excellent black-and-white photos of buildings and scholarly paraphernalia. (CZH49, $75.00)
The Art of Polish Cooking • Alina Zeranska • Janina Domanska FOOD • 1989 • HARD COVER • 384 PAGES A cookbook brimming with traditional Polish recipes, from hors d'oeuvres to desserts, and everything in between. The majority of the book is devoted to recipes, but there is also information on celebrating holidays the Polish way. (PLD15, $23.00)
Avant-Guide Prague, Insiders' Guide for Urban Adventures • Dan Levine GUIDEBOOK • 2007 • PAPER • 328 PAGES Created by a former Frommer's writer who wanted to make guidebooks which were neither travel essays nor phone books, this opinionated volume packs useful, youthful information into a colorful format. Includes interviews with Czech notables, maps, photos and some of the funniest descriptions to ever grace a "guidebook." Each restaurant, shiop, hotel or site is given a nice, long description. The jazzy design, with text often printed against a dark background, looks interesteing but makes this book none too easy to read. What were they thinking? (CZH22, $19.95)
The Axe • Ludvik Vaculik • Marian Sling LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 223 PAGES A story of ideology, played out between father and son, set against the cultural reawakening of 1960's Czechoslovakia. (CZH34, $16.00)
Beyond the Chestnut Trees • Maria Bauer BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1986 • PAPER • 224 PAGES An absorbing, affectionate memoir of life between the wars in Prague. Bauer interweaves recollections of her youth in the city with a trip back after 40 years. With 19 black-and-white photographs. Bauer fled with her family to France and then to England during WWII, returning during the communist period. (CZH53, $24.95)
Birds of Europe • Lars Svensson FIELD GUIDE • 2010 • PAPER • 416 PAGES • FAVORITE This Princeton Field Guide features 3,500 illustrations by Killian Mullarney and Dan Zetterstrom. Color plates depict every species -- and sometimes several different variants -- for 722 birds found from the Urals to the Atlantic, Scandinavia to the Middle East. (FG47, $29.95)
Blue Guide Czech and Slovak Republic • Michael Jacobs GUIDEBOOK • 1999 • PAPER • 448 PAGES A comprehensive travel guide with a focus on history, architecture and art. Michael Jacobs, a popular author of guidebooks, presents a thorough portrait of the region. (CZH18, $24.95)
The Book of Images • Rainer Maria Rilke • Edward Snow LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 280 PAGES Poems and lyrics from Rilke during his most emotional and impressionistic period (1902-1906), ably translated by Edward Snow and presented in bilingual format on facing pages. With poems reflecting on his childhood in Bohemia. (GER122, $16.00)
Bradt Guide Serbia • Laurence Mitchell GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 384 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series with good information on transportation, historical sites, and accommodations, with an extended section on Belgrade, the capital city, and a separate chapter on Kosovo. (BLK67, $24.99)
Breathing Under Water and Other East European Essays • Stanislaw Baranczak CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1992 • PAPER • 258 PAGES Poet and professor Stanislaw Baranczak, a fixture on the Eastern European intellectual scene in the second half of the 20th century, reflects on writers and writing in this collection of stimulating and insightful essays. (EUR139, $12.50)
Candles in the Dark, A New Spirit for a Plural World • Barbara Baudot • Vaclav Havel ANTHOLOGY • 2003 • PAPER • 400 PAGES A thought-provoling and timely guide to putting globalization and public policy into a firm ethical context. With contributions by diverse scholars, politicians and advocates. (WLD36, $27.95)
The Captive Mind • Czeslaw Milosz LITERATURE • 1990 • PAPER • 251 PAGES Polish poet Milosz, ever politically and intellectually engaged, asks why some citizens succumb to totalitarianism while others resist. His essay is a case-by-case study of Polish intellectuals (unnamed here but who include the writer Tadeusz Borowski), who have had much unenviable experience of totalitarianism. (PLD30, $16.00)
The Castle, A New Translation, Based on the Restored Text • Franz Kafka • Mark Harman • Malcolm Pasley LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 328 PAGES The story of a man, known only as K, and his fruitless struggle to gain entrance into The Castle and all that the castle may represent. This new translation of Kafka's unfinished masterpiece does great justice to the author's powerful tale. (EUR68, $15.00)
Cathedrals and Castles, The Cathedral Builders of the Middle Ages • Alain Erlande-Brandenburg ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2010 • PAPER • 175 PAGES This pocket-size encyclopedia of the art, architecture and culture of the Middle Ages features hundreds of drawings, color illustrations and a brief chronology. Take it along to gain a better appreciation of the Middle Ages and its legacy in Europe. (MED07, $15.95)
Central Europe, Enemies, Neighbors, Friends • Lonnie Johnson HISTORY • 2010 • PAPER • 382 PAGES An academic survey of the social, political, and economic past of Central Europe, and the conflicts that stir modern-day European politics. From medieval to modern times, the formative historical events of Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia, are all introduced. Johnson is especially successful in analyzing the struggle of small nations in the face of imperial powers and how these experiences have created a diverse European heritage. With maps. Awarded an Outstanding Academic Book of 1997 by Choice. (EUR69, $47.25)
Clara's Grand Tour, Travels With a Rhinoceros in Eighteenth-century Europe • Glynis Ridley HISTORY • 2006 • PAPER • 240 PAGES The entertaining history of a most unusual eighteenth-century European celebrity. Clara the Indian rhinoceros was brought to Europe in 1741 by the Dutch sea captain Douwemout Van der Meer, and toured for seventeen years, to the delight of heads of state such as Louis XV and Frederick the Great. A marvelous and unique look at the introduction of Eastern wildlife into the Western world. (FRN536, $12.00)
Cosmos and Pornografia, Two Novels • Witold Gombrowicz • Eric Mosbacher • Alastair Hamilton LITERATURE • 1994 • PAPER • 367 PAGES Two absurd, unconventional novels, both set in Poland, by a modern master of Polish literature. Grombrowicz, who lived most of his life in Argentina and France, toys with Polish national traditions and social conventions in these blackly humorous works. (PLD16, $14.95)
The Cossacks, An Illustrated History • John Ure HISTORY • 2009 • PAPER • 288 PAGES In this lively, beautifully illustrated overview, a career diplomat (and frequent visitor to the region) explores the history of the Cossacks in Southern Russia and central Asia and their role in world affairs. With 105 color and 30 black and white illustrations. Interestingly, Ure challenges the notion that the Cossacks are no longer influential (or evident), detailing their involvement in Chechnya, Bosnia and other places. (RUS135, $24.95)
Cracow, An Illustrated History • Zdzislaw Zygulski HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 150 PAGES A slim cultural history of a grand European city, from its founding to the present day. The author is a curator at the National Museum of Cracow. With 50 black-and-white illustrations. (PLD33, $12.95)
Czech and Slovak Republics Map • Freytag & Berndt 2006 • MAP A detailed, fully indexed map to the Czech and Slovak Republics at a scale of 1:400,000. It is also the most detailed map available of the route of the Danube between Regensburg and Budapest. Published in Austria. Two Sides. 35x49 inches. (EUR35, $14.95)
Czech and Slovak Republics Map • Michelin Travel Publications 2005 • MAP • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A shaded relief map of the two nations at a scale of 1:600,000, with insets of Prague and Bratislava. It also covers the route of the Danube between Regensburg and Budapest. One Side. 40x56 inches. (CEU17, $12.95)
Czecho/Slovakia: Ethnic Conflict, Constitutional Fissure, Negotiated Breakup • Eric Stein HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 386 PAGES A fascinating, scholarly account of Stein's experiences consulting on constitutional reform in Czechoslovakia. A Czech-born professor of law at the University of Michigan, Stein was asked by Havel and the government to participate in drafting the democratic constitution (a process which ultimately resulted in the orderly breakup of the country). In addition to his own experiences and research, Stein interviews dozens of politicians and others about the failure to reach agreement. (CZH40, $37.50)
Dvorak and His World • Michael Beckerman MUSIC • 1993 • PAPER • 296 PAGES This volume about the famed Czech composer is divided into two parts: the first is a collection of essays dealing with his relations to his country and other composers, while the second is a set of letters, early reviews, and other documents. Together, they provide an interesting view of his personal life and his influence on the world around him. (CZH23, $31.95)
Eastern Europe Map • Freytag & Berndt MAP A detailed travel map of Eastern Europe at a scale of 1:2,000,000 with the Baltic States, Belarus, Ukraine and Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow and the Black Sea. Place names are in the local language and Cyrillic. One Side. 49x34 inches. (EUR36, $14.95)
Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe • Henri Pirenne HISTORY • 1936 • PAPER • 224 PAGES Pirenne, an important economic historian, traces the economic and social development of Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to the middle of the 15th century in this classic book, first published in 1936. It gives a concise picture of medieval Western Europe, including social disturbances, economic and social catastrophes, famine and the Black Death. A separate section on the North Sea and the Baltic contains specific references to the Hanseatic League. (EUR18, $15.95)
The Engineer of Human Souls • Josef Skvorecky • Paul Wilson LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 592 PAGES This complex, entertaining novel centers on protagonist Danny Smiricky, a writer in exile, living and teaching in Canada after living under both the Nazis and the Communists. (CZH29, $16.95)
Exit into History, A Journey Through the New Eastern Europe • Eva Hoffman TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1994 • PAPER • 410 PAGES • COMING IN In this first-hand report from Eastern Europe, Polish-born Hoffman describes changes during the years immediately following the collapse of the Soviet Union in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. A great example of wonderful travel writing, the book goes beyond the sights and sounds to plumb the mindset of politicians, literati and everyday folk during this critical time. The Wall Street Journal called the book "refreshingly unpretentious," and we couldn't agree more. (EUR10, $14.95)
Eyewitness Guide Prague • Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2012 • PAPER • 272 PAGES This superb guide to Prague features color photography, dozens of excellent neighborhood maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the celebrated city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (CZH01, $25.00)
The Faithful River • Stefan Zeromski • Bill Johnston LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 179 PAGES First published in 1912, this famous Polish novel focuses on the fortunes of a wealthy manor family during the 1863 Polish uprising against Russian rule. (PLD31, $16.95)
Golem • David Wisniewski • Lee Salsberry LITERATURE • 1996 • HARD COVER • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A retelling of a Jewish legend, set in Prague in the 16th century, a dark time for the city's Jewish residents. A rabbi builds a clay giant to protect his people from persecution; the golem, in this version, speaks with a child's simplicity. The remarkable paper-cutout illustrations brilliantly evoke the Prague of old, and the author includes a helpful historical note. It's suitable for 7 to 10 year-olds. A Caldecott Medal book. (CZH38, $17.00)
The Golem • Gustave Meyrink LITERATURE • 2010 • PAPER • 190 PAGES The famous mystical, terrifying novel of the supernatural set in Prague's Jewish Ghetto in 1890. (CZH41, $11.99)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral • Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2005 • PAPER • 294 PAGES Scott, whose interest in the history of cathedrals began when he first saw the magnificent Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Salisbury, England, takes his reader on a historical, architectural and sociological tour of the magnificent spires and stained-glass windows that dot the landscape of Europe. It's an accessible, personable overview. (EUR190, $21.95)
The Grooves of Change, Eastern Europe at the Turn of the Millennium • J.F. Brown HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 248 PAGES A survey of the events from the fall of communism to 2000 by a leading scholar. Brown discusses social and political change in the region, prospects for the future -- and the growing economic rift between East Central and South Eastern Europe. (EUR90, $25.95)
Here Is Where We Meet • John Berger LITERATURE • 2006 • PAPER • 256 PAGES This novel weaves a portrait of several European countries through encounters with the dead, from the narrator's mother, whom he discovers on a park bench in Lisbon, to a childhood friend wandering a market in Krakow. "The dead don't stay where they are buried," the protagonist's mother tells him, and this becomes the mantra for this most unusual journey through Europe's history and people. (EUR189, $15.00)
Historical Atlas of Central Europe • Paul Mogocsi HISTORY • 2002 • PAPER • 232 PAGES An influential, authoritative survey of maps and shifting borders in the region from the Middle Ages until the present. With dozens of superb color maps illuminating the history and ethnic complexity of this bewildering part of the world. The atlas covers the region from Poland, Lithuania, and the eastern part of Germany to Greece and western Turkey and extends in time from the early fifth century to the present. (EUR33, $45.00)
The History of Eastern Europe for Beginners • Paul Beck HISTORY • 1997 • PAPER • 186 PAGES • COMING IN An irreverent tour of recent Eastern European history in documentary comic-book style, a provocative, fast-moving and opinionated look at who is in conflict with whom and why, nationhood, ethnicity and the future. (EUR30, $11.00)
Hitler and the Holocaust • Robert S. Wistrich HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 295 PAGES A short history of the cultural and political circumstances surrounding the genocide of the Jews. Wistrich looks closely at Anti-Semitism in Germany, Europe and abroad in an attempt to understand the evil unleashed during World War II, cautioning that we must be always vigilant about intolerance. (EUR114, $15.00)
An Illustrated History of the First World War • John Keegan HISTORY • 2001 • HARD COVER • 448 PAGES • COMING IN An illustrated edition of Keegan's outstanding history of the Great War, considerably enhanced by his selection of almost 500 photographs, maps, drawings and illustrations. The visuals clarify and augment his wide-ranging narrative of the origins, battles and consequences of WWI. (WAR16, $50.00)
The Improbable Voyage • Tristan Jones TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1998 • PAPER • 332 PAGES A personable sailor's yarn of a tough trip by water across Europe along the Rhine and Danube to the Black Sea. Jones, an inveterate Welsh sailor, adventurer and storyteller, tackles not only sailing, but also the people, politics and flavor of Eastern Europe circa 1985. Just in case, he flies the Red Ensign, the Stars and Stripes, and the Red Dragon of Wales. This is the middle book in a series of three travel books that charts his 2,000-mile voyage across Europe on his on his 38-foot trimaran Outward Leg. (EUR156, $16.50)
Insight Guide Poland • Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK • 2004 • PAPER • 416 PAGES A handsomely illustrated introduction to Poland, this guidebook features essays on history, culture and economy, as well as practical information for the traveler. With 15 helpful maps and numerous color photographs. (PLD14, $23.95)
Inventing Eastern Europe, The Map of Civilization on the Mind of Enlightenment • Larry Wolff HISTORY • 1994 • PAPER • 419 PAGES A scholarly analysis and history of European geopolitics during the Age of Enlightenment. The author, a professor of history, looks back to Rousseau, Voltaire and Western (mis)perceptions of Eastern Europe during the late 18th century. With chapters on 18th-century literature, fantasy and folklore, travelers and voyages. Recommended for intellectually minded travelers with a serious interest in geography, this book sheds light on widely shared conventions about Eastern Europe. (EUR34, $30.95)
The Joke • Milan Kundera LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 336 PAGES In this novel a student in Communist Czechoslovakia is imprisoned when he sends a postcard to his girlfriend -- "Optimism is the opium of the masses! Long live Trotsky!" Years later, he comes up with a plan for revenge. (CZH36, $13.99)
Kafka's Milena • Jane Cerna • A. G. Brain • George Gibian BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1993 • PAPER • 205 PAGES Milena, who kept a long-term correspondence with Franz Kafka, was a legend a legend and household name in 1930s Prague. This is her biography, as written by her daughter. (CZH35, $18.00)
Kafka's Prague, A Travel Reader • Klaus Wagenbach GUIDEBOOK • 1996 • HARD COVER • 125 PAGES Cleverly organized as a city guide, this handsome volume takes the reader on a tour of Kafka's Prague. With period photos, memoirs and excepts from his writings, the Kafka lover or anyone interested in turn-of-the-century Prague will find this book a fascinating companion. Opening with a biography of the famous Czech author, the subsequent chapters are designed to give the reader a personal walking tour through the Prague Kafka knew best. An unusual alternative to the standard tour book format. (CZH03, $21.95)
The Lands of Partitioned Poland, 1795-1918 • Piotr S. Wandyc HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER A scholarly history of Poland during the period when it was divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia. Originally published in 1975, this volume in the "History of East Central Europe" series is the most comprehensive book on the subject. (PLD35, $35.00)
Life with a Star • Jiri Weil • Philip Roth LITERATURE • 1998 • PAPER • 208 PAGES A fictional account of the Holocaust told through the story of a young Czech Jew, the bank teller Roubicek. Philip Roth provides the introduction to this outstanding portrait of life in Nazi-occupied Prague. (CZH43, $19.00)
Living in Freedom. The New Prague • Mark Sommer TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1994 • PAPER • 261 PAGES Based on Sommers's visits to Prague both before and after the Velvet Revolution of 1989, this portrait blends history, travel narrative and political commentary. (CZH26, $11.95)
Lonely Planet Czech and Slovak Republics • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 488 PAGES In the hallmark Lonely Planet style, this practical guide to the Czech Republic and Slovakia features 95 maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With color photographs and excellent travel information. (CZH07, $22.99)
Lonely Planet Eastern Europe • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 1028 PAGES A comprehensive guide to Eastern Europe, including Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Yugoslavia. It is a compact overview of the region, especially appropriate for the independent-minded traveler visiting several countries. With 150 local and regional sketch maps, and a 10-15-page overview of each country. (EUR72, $29.99)
Lonely Planet Poland • Dydynski Krzysztof GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 600 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide in familiar Lonely Planet style. (PLD36, $24.99)
Lonely Planet Prague • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 282 PAGES A practical comprehensive guide to the city in the hallmark Lonely planet style. (CZH52, $18.99)
Madame Curie, A Biography • Eve Curie BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2001 • PAPER • 448 PAGES Marie Sklodowska Curie's life in science, as chronicled by her daughter Eve. Winner of two Nobel Prizes, Madame Curie was born and raised in Poland in the late 19th century, married in Paris and celebrated throughout the world. This biography recounts her remarkable life, with no little amount of information about her milieu. Reissued in 2001 with a new introduction by Natalie Angier. (PLD27, $20.95)
Mammals of Europe • Priscilla Barrett • David W. MacDonald FIELD GUIDE • 2002 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Published by Princeton, this is a field guide to land and marine mammals throughout Europe, both endemic and introduced. With more than 600 color illustrations of over 200 mammals, it's a comprehensive handbook, with detailed descriptions, range maps and commentary on behavior. (FG61, $38.50)
Maus, A Survivor's Tale I & II • Art Spiegelman LITERATURE • 1986 • PAPER • 296 PAGES The Pulitzer Prize-winning narrative of Spiegelman's father and family in Poland as World War II erupts. He renders the story of his father's early life, Nazi occupation of Poland, survival in a concentration camp and other events as a stark graphic novel, turning the main characters into cats, mice, pigs and dogs. It's a terrible, compelling tale, continued in the second volume in this boxed set. Based on interviews with his reluctant father, Spiegelman includes his own attempts to come to grips with his complex family history. (PLD22, $31.90)
Milosz's ABCs • Czeslaw Milosz • Madeline G. Levine BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • HARD COVER • 313 PAGES Arranged alphabetically by topic, these short prose pieces are the Polish poet's musings on matters personal, literary and global. Not quite a memoir, nor exactly an essay, this far-ranging book bespeaks the Eastern European intellectual experience. (PLD26, $24.00)
Miracle Fair, Selected Poems • Wislawa Szymborska • Joanna Trzeciak • Czeslaw Milosz LITERATURE • 2001 • HARD COVER • 159 PAGES Arranged thematically, this collection of the Polish Nobel laureate's poetry spans the course of her career. The Swedish Academy, announcing the 1996 Nobel Prize, praised Szymborska's "poetry that with ironic precision allows the historical and biological context to come to light in fragments of human reality". How does all that translate on the page? Here's what Szymborska says of death, in "On Death, Without Exaggeration": It can't take a joke,/ find a star, make a bridge./ It knows nothing about weaving, mining, farming,/ building ships, or baking cakes." Indeed. This excellent selection is introduced by Szymborska's countryman Czeslaw Milosz. (PLD29, $24.95)
National Geographic Prague and The Czech Republic • Stephen Brook GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 336 PAGES A comprehensive guide to the area's artistic, historical and cultural landmarks, complete with detailed maps and full-color photos. (CZH55, $26.95)
Night • Elie Wiesel • Marion Wiesel BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2006 • PAPER • 109 PAGES Autobiographical in nature, this slim memoir is drawn directly from Elie Wiesel's horrifying experiences during the Holocaust. He witnessed the death of his family before being shipped off to Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Ultimately, Wiesel struggles to find faith in a God who has allowed such monstruous events to happen. (EUR79, $9.95)
The Northern Wars: War, State and Society in Northeastern Europe, 1558-1721 • Robert I. Frost HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 401 PAGES An illuminating, scholarly history of the struggle over Estonia, Livonia and control of the Nordic-Baltic region by Sweden, Prussia, and Russia. Frost covers the heavily militarized period between the 16th-century takeover of the Baltic empires of the knights of the Teutonic order and the 18th century, when mighty Poland-Lithuania was devoured by its neighbors. Largely ignored today as a historical power, the flow of Polish-Lithuanian grain, timber, hemp and pitch through the Baltic provided vital raw materials for the European economy in the 16th and 17th centuries. (BLT15, $71.60)
The Painted Bird • Jerzy Kosinski LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 256 PAGES Based on much of the author's own experiences in World War II Poland, "The Painted Bird" won international recognition for Jerzy Kosinski. The often disturbing account of a young Jewish boy's journey through rural Poland as he tries to evade everyone from SS officers to Anti-Semitic Polish peasants will leave an indelible impression. A powerful, frankly disturbing account of the cruelty of war. (PLD07, $14.00)
The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe • Dennis Hupchick • Harold Cox HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 130 PAGES The changing borders and complex history of Eastern Europe as told through 52 maps and accompanying essays, organized chronologically. An excellent reference, the book shows the rise of Poland, changing borders of the Ottoman Empire, Hapsburgs and fate of Yugoslavia in admirable clarity. (EUR138, $21.95)
Poland Map • Michelin Travel Publications 2010 • MAP A self-folding full color map of Poland at a scale of 1:700,000, updated annually. One Side. 39x60 inches. (PLD20, $11.95)
Polish Customs, Traditions and Folklore • Sophie Hodorowitz Knab • Mary Anne Knab CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1996 • HARD COVER • 335 PAGES Organized by months and holidays, this book surveys traditions and customs of the past and present practiced in Poland and by Polish immigrants abroad. While many of the celebrations and cultural observances have been lost over the years, Sophie Hodorowicz Knab, who has written extensively on Polish culture, rejuvenates interest in these unique, oft-forgotten ways. (PLD19, $24.95)
The Polish Way, A Thousand Year History of the Poles and Their Culture • Adam Zamoyski HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER • 422 PAGES An excellent overview of Polish culture and history, comprehensive, engaging and balanced. Zamoyski focuses especially on the period 1400-1800, writing with flair and authority about the origins of Polish nationhood. With maps and illustrations throughout. (PLD03, $22.50)
Prague Map • Borch Maps 2006 • MAP An easy-to-use, laminated, detailed map of the center of Prague at a scale of 1:10,000. The city's major attractions are clearly indicated and a street index is included. Two Sides. 20x26 inches. (CZH13, $7.95)
Prague Tales • Jan Neruda • Michael Heim • Ivan Klima LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 346 PAGES A collection of stories set in the Little Quarter of 19th-century Prague. Neruda has been referred to as the Charles Dickens of Czechoslovakia. (CZH28, $17.95)
Resistance, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising • Israel Gutman HISTORY • 1998 • PAPER • 277 PAGES As a Jew who survived the Nazi death-camps, Gutman draws on a variety of personal and scholarly sources in constructing this history of the uprising. The book turns out to be much broader than the title suggests, as he places the ghetto experience in the context of Jewish history in general. With maps and photographs. (PLD17, $19.95)
Return to Diversity: A Political History of East Central Europe Since World War II • Joseph Rothschild HISTORY • 2008 • PAPER • 274 PAGES An opinionated, well-written and clear political history of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania since WWII, revised for this fourth edition. (EUR31, $44.95)
Rough Guide Poland • Mark Salter GUIDEBOOK • 2009 • PAPER • 720 PAGES An opinionated, comprehensive travel guide in the British series, balancing practical information on where to go and what to do with a good overview of the culture and history of the region. (PLD09, $24.99)
Rough Guide Prague • Rob Humphreys • David Charap GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 348 PAGES A no-nonsense, opinionated travel guide to Prague aimed at independent-minded travelers. It includes maps, a good cultural and historical overview and a great bibliography. (CZH21, $19.99)
Schindler's List • Thomas Keneally LITERATURE • 1993 • PAPER • 400 PAGES A landmark in literature about the Holocaust, this modern classic was made popular in Steven Spielberg's award-winning screen adaptation. It is the compelling story of the transformation of a Nazi tycoon and his rescue of 1,300 Jews from the concentration camps near Plaszow. (GER51, $16.00)
Shosha • Isaac Bashevis Singer LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER A powerful novel of love set in the Jewish quarter of Warsaw as World War II erupts around the protagonists. (PLD18, $16.00)
Slovak Republic Map • Freytag & Berndt MAP A colorful, detailed map of Slovakia at a scale of 1:200,000. One Side. 35x45 inches. (CEU19, $14.95)
The Sons: The Judgement, the Stoker, the Metamorphosis, and Letter to His Father • Franz Kafka LITERATURE • 1989 • PAPER • 192 PAGES A trio of Kafka's well-known short tales of family tragedy, presented together (as he originally envisioned them) along with a letter to his father. (CEU18, $12.95)
The Street of Crocodiles • Bruno Schulz LITERATURE • 2008 • PAPER • 368 PAGES These lyrical stories tap Schulz's memories of his childhood and the people, places and events of provincial Poland in the early 20th century. As much memoir as fiction, the fragments and dreamy prose pieces evoke the Galician town of Drohobycz -- where Schulz lived and was killed by a Nazi officer in 1942. Schulz features prominently in Cynthia Ozick's novel "The Messiah of Stockholm." (PLD24, $16.00)
The Struggle and the Triumph, An Autobiography • Lech Walesa BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1994 • PAPER • 330 PAGES • COMING IN The inside story of the Solidarity movement by the man who made it happen. Walesa draws a detailed portrait of his rise from the Gdansk shipyards to become the first freely elected president of Poland. He tells of his wife, his rabble rousing and the eventual support he received from politicians and celebrities. Not one to take all the credit, he discusses the great influence of the three visits by Pope John Paul and deals candidly with Poland's history of anti-Semitism. It's an altogether moving book by a working class hero. (PLD05, $20.99)
Summer Meditations • Vaclav Havel • Paul Wilson BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1993 • PAPER • 180 PAGES The playwright-cum-statesman exhibits his intellectual and moral gravitas in this collection of thoughts on such topics as the responsibilities of independence, the moral foundation of society, and the future of the Czech Republic. (CZH33, $14.95)
This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen • Tadeusz Borowski • Barbara Vedder • Jan Kott BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1992 • PAPER • 180 PAGES A series of uninflected, austere stories, published in Polish after WWII -- and drawn from the author's experiences in Auschwitz and Dachau from 1943 to 1945. The stories, which caused a sensation upon publication, reflect the daily horrors in the camps. They stand as testimony to the will to survive. (GER95, $15.00)
The Three Golden Keys • Peter Sis LITERATURE • 2001 • HARD COVER • 64 PAGES • FAMILY Either by magic or trick of memory, author/illustrator Peter Sis is transported to the Prague of his childhood. As in all of Sis's books, the imaginary gets mixed up with the real -- in this book, he meets characters from Czech folklore, including the Golem and Hanus the Clockmaker. Prague, so often called a "fairy tale city," is at its most fairy tale-ish in this sophisticated, entrancing picture book. Intended for grade-school children, the book will appeal equally (or more) to parents. (CZH39, $24.99)
To Begin Where I Am, The Selected Prose of Czeslaw Milosz • Czeslaw Milosz • Madeline G. Levine • Bogdana Carpenter LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER • 272 PAGES Culled from a lifetime's worth of publications, these essays by the Lithuanian-born Polish poet and Nobel laureate Milosz address the Polish experience at home and abroad in the 20th century. There couldn't be a better national spokesperson than this brilliant writer, who has taught Slavic Languages and Literature at UC Berkeley since the 1950s. As a sample of Milosz's prose, these selections cover everything from Polish poetry to modern philosophy to personal memoirs of life in Wilno, Warsaw, Paris and California. (PLD25, $17.00)
The Trial, A New Translation Based on the Restored Text • Franz Kafka • Breon Mitchell LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 281 PAGES Kafka's chilling novel of an unjust trial in a totalitarian state, in which the defendant is never told who has charged him, or why. (CZH46, $14.00)
Two Cities: On Exile, History, and the Imagination • Adam Zagajewski LITERATURE • 2002 • PAPER A series of lyrical essays, sketches and reflections by the influential poet, addressing among his many preoccupations: loss, dislocation, totalitarian regimes, creativity and beauty. Zagajewski, whose family was tossed out of his birthplace in Lvov when the border shifted from Poland to the U.S.S.R. after WWII, came of age in Cracow and now divides his time between Paris and the United States. (PLD38, $19.95)
Tzili, The Story of a Life • Aharon Appelfeld • Dalya Bilu LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 192 PAGES A moving story of a young Jewish girl whose family accidentally leaves her behind when they flee Poland. She survives the Holocaust hiding in the forest, where she finds love and a sense of belonging. Like Tzili, the author is a Holocaust survivor. A prominent Israeli author, Appelfeld fled to the forest from a concentration camp at the age of eight. (PLD13, $12.00)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being • Milan Kundera LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 320 PAGES Kundera is celebrated for his lyricism and emotional intensity, and this novel exemplifies his very philosophical style. Praised for its meditations on life, the nature of men and women, and on the fearful emptiness of Eastern European life under Communist management, this book is an intriguing read. (CZH16, $14.99)
Under A Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1948 • Heda Kovaly • Helen Epstein BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1997 • PAPER • 192 PAGES • COMING IN A spirited, personal memoir of horror and tragedy. Kovaly recounts the arrival of Nazis in Prague, her deportation to Aushwitz, her eventual return, the May 1945 uprising and the arrest, conviction and execution of her husband in the infamous 1952 Slansky trial. (CZH45, $15.00)
Utz • Bruce Chatwin LITERATURE • 1988 • PAPER • 154 PAGES A fascinating character study in a richly drawn setting. In a classic Cold War story, Meissen porcelain collector and Czech citizen Kaspar Utz considers defecting each time he travels abroad, but his precious collection -- held hostage by the Communist authorities back home -- prevents him. (CZH31, $15.00)
Wine Country Europe, Touring, Tasting, And Buying At European Regional Wineries • Ornella D'Alessio • Marco Santini FOOD • 2005 • HARD COVER • 324 PAGES Part how-to, part guidebook, part picture book, this charming coffee table treat covers sprawling French vineyards as well as lesser-known hidden treasures in Austria and Hungary. The authors, both Italian journalists and wine connoisseurs, provide helpful tips alongside the hundreds of magnificent color photographs. (EUR191, $35.00)
With the Armies of the Tsar, A Nurse at the Russian Front in War and Revolution, 1914-1918 • Frances Farmborough HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 422 PAGES An extraordinary memoir of life on the battlefield by an English governess in Moscow who volunteered her services as a nurse in WWI. A witness to the 1917 revolution, she accompanied Russia's troops in Poland, Austria and Rumania, finally fleeing to Vladivostok from where she escaped home to Britain. With 50 of Farmborough's photographs. (RUS139, $19.95)
Woman from Hamburg And Other True Stories • Hanna Krall • Madeline G. Levine BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2006 • PAPER • 272 PAGES A journalist from Warsaw born in 1937, Krall reveals the lives and strange trajectories of her compatriots in these stories, profiles and interviews of survivors of WWII. (PLD49, $14.95)
A World Lit Only By Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age • William Manchester HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER • 322 PAGES In this wide-ranging study, Manchester evokes in vivid detail the great figures and daily life of the 16th century, with information on Henry VIII, Magellan, Borgia, da Vinci and Martin Luther. This is his 18th book and Manchester knows how to tell a great story. It's divided into three sections: Renaissance, Reformation and Discovery. (EUR06, $15.99)
Yiddish Folktales • Beatrice Weinreich LITERATURE • 1997 • PAPER • 413 PAGES A collection of 178 Yiddish tales, many just a paragraph or two, gathered from throughout Eastern Europe as part of a project by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in the 1920s and 30s. (CEU33, $18.00)

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