Art of the Byzantine Era  •  David Talbot Rice ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES An indispensable classic and a thoroughly illustrated introduction to Byzantine art, wide-ranging and literate. Though it focuses on the extraordinary early Christian treasures of Constantinople (including site plans and photographs of mosaics, carving and decoration), the book also includes chapters on Sicily, Venice and Slavonic art of the Balkans. With 250 illustrations, many in color, and accompanying text, it is a compact introduction to the art and architecture of the era. (TKY22, $16.95)
Austria Map  •  Freytag & Berndt MAP The home-grown map of Austria, published by the fine Vienna-based Freytag & Berndt. Scale 1:300,000. (AST28, $12.95)
Balkan Tragedy, Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War  •  Susan Woodward HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 536 PAGES A scholarly, detailed analysis of Yugoslavia's collapse, published by the Brookings Institution, where the author is a senior policy fellow. Woodward places the Bosnia-Herzegovina war in an international context, showing how Western Europe and the U.S. policies contributed to the explosion of violence. (BLK18, $24.95)
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting  •  Milan Kundera LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES Called a novel, this book is actually equal parts fairy tale, autobiography, philosophical treatise and literary criticism. Kundera strings together loosely related short stories to form an original and entertaining look at Czech culture. (CZH17, $13.95)
Bradt Guide Serbia  •  Laurence Mitchell GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 320 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)
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)
A Concise History of Bulgaria  •  R.J. Crampton HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 287 PAGES A highly readable, illustrated introduction to Bulgaria's history from medieval empire to Ottoman rule, revival and modernization, to the fall of Communism. Second edition. (BGR01, $27.99)
The Cossacks, An Illustrated History  •  John Ure HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 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, $45.00)
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. (EUR35, $12.95)
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. (EUR36, $11.95)
Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900  •  Alfred W. Crosby NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 370 PAGES A pleasure to read, this book is the moving tale of how early explorers, colonists and settlers inadvertently reshaped our biological world. It is the story of the displacement of native plants and animals, transfer of disease and other exchanges of organisms, good and bad, between the old and new world. Second, updated edition. (NAT22, $26.99)
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, $15.00)
Eyewitness Guide Prague  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 264 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, $23.00)
Eyewitness Guide Warsaw  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A comprehensive visual guide to the city featuring great neighborhood maps, architectural diagrams, photographs and an excellent overview of the culture and history of the city. With a section on what to see, where to eat, stay and shop. (PLD08, $20.00)
The Glance of Countess Hahn-Hahn (Down the Danube)  •  Peter Esterhazy LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 246 PAGES A confounding, postmodern novel, this meditation on travel, the Danube, and its history is great fun for those with an appreciation for wordplay and intellectual games. Its protagonist is a heroic traveler who communicates in a series of telegrams, narratives and dreamlike monologues. The novel doubles as a stunning travelogue of the Danube from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. (HGR11, $19.00)
The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the World War  •  Jaroslav Hasek  •  Cecil Parrott LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 752 PAGES The deeply funny story of a hapless Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army -- dismissed for incompetence only to be pressed into service by the Russians in World War I (where he is captured by his own troops). A mischief-maker, bohemian and drunk, Hasek demonstrated his wit in this classic novel of the Czech character and preposterous nature of war. This unabridged Penguin Classics edition, as translated by Cecil Parrott, includes the original illustrations by Josef Lada. (CZH11, $16.00)
The Gothic Enterprise, A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral  •  Robert A. Scott ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 307 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, $17.95)
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, $14.00)
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)
A History of Hungary  •  Peter F. Sugar  •  Peter Hanak  •  Tibor Frank HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 438 PAGES With experts contributing chapters on their areas of interest, this book is an excellent survey of the political and cultural history of the nation. (HGR06, $20.95)
A History of Modern Hungary, 1867 -1994  •  Jorg Hoensch HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER A standard history translated from German, this book takes up with the last years of the Habsburg realm, and continues through the authoritarian regime of the interwar years and communist era, to the present. (HGR08, $51.00)
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956, Reform, Revolt and Repression 1953 - 1963  •  Gyorgy Litvan  •  Janos M. Bak  •  Lyman H. Legters HISTORY •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 248 PAGES The first account of the Hugarian Revolution to include materials made available only after the Soviet Union disolved, including eyewitness acounts, domestic and foreign archival information, and private papers. (HGR07, $96.33)
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)
Imagining the Balkans  •  Maria Todorova HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 257 PAGES A challenging book, but well worth the effort for its insight, this collection of essays examines in scholarly and critical detail the roots of our stereotypes and misconceptions about the Balkans. (BLK19, $30.00)
The Impossible Country, A Journey Through the Last Days of Yugoslavia  •  Brian Hall TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES As Yugoslavia deteriorates, the American journalist author journeys throughout the country by bicycle, documenting the people, politics and mood of the place. Beautifully written, it's an engaging snapshot of the region at a critical moment. (BLK22, $23.95)
Kingdom of Auschwitz  •  Otto Friedrich HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES Otto Friedrich's slim book is an intensely personal account of the infamous Auschwitz death camp. The entire history of Auschwitz, from its impractical site in a Polish swamp through its construction and terrible purpose, is covered in short chapters punctuated with eyewitness accounts and testimonies. Black-and-white maps show the layout of the camp along with its relation to other nearby camps and transfer points. A must for the visitor wanting a deeper understanding of one of humankind's darkest creations. (PLD04, $11.00)
Lonely Planet Eastern Europe  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 952 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, $28.99)
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, $34.95)
National Geographic Traveler, Prague and The Czech Republic  •  Stephen Brook GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A comprehensive guide to the area's artistic, historical and cultural landmarks, complete with detailed maps and full-color photos. (CZH55, $25.95)
Open Letters, Selected Writings: 1965 - 1990  •  Vaclav Havel  •  Paul Wilson HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 405 PAGES This inspired anthology of writings by the Czech poet-president Vaclav Havel collects 25 essays, letters and speeches written between 1965 and 1990. The famous "Dear Mr. Husak" and "Power of the Powerless," writings that directly influenced the Polish Solidarity movement, are included along with a wealth of other works of inspiration. A moving record of an important contemporary reformer and the thoughts that fueled a revolution. (CZH06, $15.95)
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)
Pilgrimages, The Great Adventure of the Middle Ages  •  John Ure HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES (EUR202, $15.95)
Plagues and Peoples  •  William McNeill HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 365 PAGES Wide-ranging, fascinating and well researched, this book traces the waves of epidemics that raged through Europe, particularly the famous Black Death of the 13th and 14th centuries. (EUR26, $15.95)
Poland  •  James Michener LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 616 PAGES In his epic style, Michener presents the sweep of Polish history from the earliest days to 1983 in this massively researched -- and fascinating -- novel. His focus is on the struggle for freedom. An excellent choice for reading on the airplane! (PLD02, $7.99)
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, $19.95)
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. (CZH13, $7.95)
Rick Steves' French, Italian & German Phrase Book & Dictionary  •  Rick Steves LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2003 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A compact phrase book for travelers, organized thematically and with a brief dictionary. French, German and Italian phrases are side-by-side on the page so that you can pick and choose depending on the situation. This is no dry litany but instead peppered with humor and Rick Steves' insider insight into how to break the ice and make friends around the world. (EUR142, $9.95)
Rough Guide Poland  •  Mark Salter GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 704 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, $22.99)
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, $15.00)
Southeastern Europe Under Ottoman Rule  •  Peter F. Sugar HISTORY •  1983 •  PAPER  • 365 PAGES A scholarly survey of five centuries of Ottoman rule in the Balkans, from the Empire's first advances in the 14th century up to its decline in the 19th century. (BLK20, $32.50)
The Spirit of Prague  •  Ivan Klima HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 188 PAGES • COMING IN A collection of essays by the renowned Czech novelist charting the history of Prague from World War II to the Velvet Revolution. While mostly about the city, literature and politics, the essays explore Klima's own history, his childhood experience in a Nazi concentration camp. (CZH05, $12.95)
The Struggle and the Triumph, An Autobiography  •  Lech Walesa BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  PAPER  • 330 PAGES 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)
Time Out Budapest  •  Time Out GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Compact and up-to-date, this is an outstanding guide for where to go and what to do in Budapest. With maps and introductory chapters on culture and history. (HGR09, $19.95)
Travelers' Tales, A Woman's Europe  •  Marybeth Bond  •  Mary Morris ANTHOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 298 PAGES This entertaining collection depicts Europe through the eyes of a diverse group of women writers, including Frances Mayes, Jan Morris and Mary Morris. These humorous and well-written true stories capture the misadventures, discoveries and slices of life that the continent (and travel!) has to offer. (EUR160, $17.95)
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, $13.95)
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)