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SMITHSONIAN JOURNEYS

Old World Europe

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Enrich your travels with reading! Here's a hand-picked list prepared for your journey in conjunction with the book experts at Longitude.

Essential Reading

Item EXEUR611. Buy these 6 items as a set for $100 including shipping, 15% off the retail price.
With free shipping on anything else you order.

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A Nervous Splendor, Vienna 1888-1889

A Nervous Splendor, Vienna 1888-1889

by Frederic Morton

  • HISTORY
  • 1980
  • PAPER
  • 340 PAGES

A portrait of Vienna at the end of the 19th century, this book focuses on Crown Prince Rudolph, his devastating suicide and the rich texture of gossip and daily life at the Habsburg Court. It captures the political ferment, intellectual creativity, gaiety and despair of fin-de-siecle Austria. (AST16, $16.00)

Budapest 1900

Budapest 1900

by John Lukacs

  • HISTORY
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 255 PAGES

Written by a distinguished historian and native son, this richly detailed portrait of the city at its zenith includes hundreds of illustrations. (HGR01, $16.95)

The Magic Lantern, The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague

The Magic Lantern, The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague

by Timothy Garton Ash

  • HISTORY
  • 1993
  • PAPER
  • 167 PAGES

With a chapter each on Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague, this eyewitness account by an astute journalist and historian shows these vibrant cities during a time of great change. (GER36, $15.00)

Prague, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Prague, A Traveler's Literary Companion

by Paul Wilson

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

This anthology of 24 vivid stories by Czech writers, contemporary and well-known, brings the city, history history, spirit and people to life and includes a helpful map for the traveler. (CZH08, $14.95)

Lonely Planet Central Europe

Lonely Planet Central Europe

by Lonely Planet

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 662 PAGES
  • BEST SELLER

With dozens of maps, color photographs and sections on history and culture, this practical guide introduces Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and their neighbors. (EUR94, $29.99)

Central Europe Map

Central Europe Map

by Freytag & Berndt

  • 2010
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

This colorful regional European map, like the sister map Europe Grand Tour (EUR185), covers from Paris and Amsterdam to Vienna, Prague, Warsaw, Budapest, Rome and Dubrovnik. (EUR12, $14.95)

 
Czech and Slovak Republics Map

Czech and Slovak Republics Map


by Michelin Travel Publications

  • 2005
  • MAP
  • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE

Showing the route of the Danube between Regensburg and Budapest, this regional map shows Budapest, Vienna and Prague. (CEU17, $12.95)

Cadogan Guide Vienna, Prague and Budapest

Cadogan Guide Vienna, Prague and Budapest


by Cadogan Guide

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 334 PAGES

Three authors teemed up for this in-depth cultural guide to the history, architecture, artistic heritage and sights of these three capital cities. (CEU43, $21.95)

Eyewitness Guide Budapest

Eyewitness Guide Budapest


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 270 PAGES

Featuring handy maps and solid information on culture and history in addition to a detailed overview of attractions. With hundreds of photographs. (HGR15, $25.00)

Eyewitness Guide Cracow

Eyewitness Guide Cracow


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2013
  • PAPER
  • 264 PAGES

Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this superb guide includes color photography, easy-to-use maps and top attractions (PLD54, $25.00)

Eyewitness Guide Prague

Eyewitness Guide Prague


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

This superb guide features color photography, dozens of excellent 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)

Eyewitness Guide Vienna

Eyewitness Guide Vienna


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • FLEXI-BOUND
  • 288 PAGES

Take along this handy, compact guide featuring history, culture, color photography and excellent neighborhood maps. (AST01, $23.00)

Rick Steves' Snapshot Krakow, Warsaw & Gdansk


by Rick Steves

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES

Like having a tour guide in your pocket, this compact guide covers the highlights of where to go and what to do in these historic cities. (PLD86, $12.99)

A History of Slovakia, The Struggle for Survival

A History of Slovakia, The Struggle for Survival


by Stanislav K. Kirschbaum

  • HISTORY
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 350 PAGES

A historian from Bratislava traces his nation's roots from the first arrival on the Danubian Plain to Slovakia's declaration of independence in 1993. A particularly solid discussion of the Communist period and the nation's relationship with the Czechs and Hungary. (EUR93, $20.00)

Bury Me Standing

Bury Me Standing


by Isabel Fonseca

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 322 PAGES

This marvelous portrait of the Roma, also known as the Gypsies, offers insight into their music, foods, religions and folk traditions, and also examines their influential but complex relationship with Eastern Europe. (EUR09, $16.00)

Kingdom of Auschwitz

Kingdom of Auschwitz


by Otto Friedrich

  • HISTORY
  • 1994
  • PAPER
  • 128 PAGES

Otto Friedrich's slim book is an intensely personal account of the infamous Auschwitz death camp. He covers the entire history of Auschwitz in short chapters punctuated with eyewitness accounts and testimonies. (PLD04, $11.00)

Prague in Black and Gold, Scenes from Life in a European City

Prague in Black and Gold, Scenes from Life in a European City


by Peter Demetz

  • HISTORY
  • 1998
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

Both a history and accessible guide to the neighborhoods and architecture of the city. (CZH09, $17.95)

The Coasts of Bohemia, A Czech History

The Coasts of Bohemia, A Czech History


by Derek Sayer

  • HISTORY
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

A political and cultural history of the Czech people, this intriguing book places the historically important Bohemia and Moravia regions at the center of European events. The author draws on literature, the arts, culture and politics to evoke Czech history, society and identity. (CZH10, $39.95)

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire

The Habsburgs, Embodying Empire


by Andrew Wheatcroft

  • HISTORY
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

The Habsburgs ruled over more diverse peoples and cultures than any other European dynasty since the Roman period. With skillful scholarship and engaging style, Wheatcroft reveals the history of this family of eccentric monarchs. (AST11, $17.00)

The Haunted Land, Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism

The Haunted Land, Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism


by Tina Rosenberg

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1996
  • PAPER
  • 437 PAGES

In this groundbreaking book, a journalist reports on how the newly democratized people of East Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have confronted the horrors of their former governments. (EUR54, $17.95)

The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe

The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe


by 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)

A Time of Gifts

A Time of Gifts


by Patrick Leigh Fermor

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2005
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Fermor effortlessly interweaves anecdote, history and culture in this exuberant account of a walk from Holland, up the Rhine and down the Danube, through Germany, Prague and Austria in 1933. Written not in the moment, but 40 years later, the accumulation of time and experience give the book particular poignancy. (CEU30, $16.95)

Mozart

Mozart


by Peter Gay

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 177 PAGES

This concise, entertaining portrait delves into Mozart's complex relationship with his father, his daunting role as a child prodigy and his exploration of new musical territory. (AST43, $14.00)

On Foot to the Golden Horn

On Foot to the Golden Horn


by Jason Goodwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 278 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

Goodwin interweaves history, incident and reflection in this excellent portrait of Central Europe. With chapters on Cracow, Slovakia, Budapest, Transylvania, Brasov and Bulgaria. (EUR81, $17.00)

The Hare With Amber Eyes

The Hare With Amber Eyes


by Edmund De Waal

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

Edmund de Waal unfolds the story of his remarkable family, a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who "burned like a comet" in early 20th-century Paris and Vienna. (FRN941, $16.00)

The Zookeeper's Wife

The Zookeeper's Wife


by Diane Ackerman

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

A marvelous storyteller, Ackerman recalls madcap, bohemian Warsaw before WWII, the devastation of the city by Nazi bombs in 1939, the horrors of the holocaust and heroic efforts in the resistance in this moving tale of Antonina and Jan Zabinski, directors of Warsaw Zoo. (PLD70, $14.95)

Maus, A Survivor's Tale I & II

Maus, A Survivor's Tale I & II


by 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, the Nazi occupation of Poland, survival in a concentration camp and other events as a stark graphic novel. (PLD22, $31.90)

Poland

Poland


by 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 novel. An excellent choice for the airplane. (PLD02, $7.99)

Shosha

Shosha


by 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)

The Complete Stories

The Complete Stories


by Franz Kafka

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 486 PAGES

All of Kafka's stories, including The Metamorphosis, A Hunger Artist, and In The Penal Colony. (CZH47, $17.00)

The Painted Bird

The Painted Bird


by Jerzy Kosinski

  • LITERATURE
  • 1995
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

The acclaimed novel based on the author's own experiences in World War II Poland. 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. (PLD07, $14.00)

The Radetzky March

The Radetzky March


by Joseph Roth | Joachim Neugroschel

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 331 PAGES

Magnificently set against the backdrop of the twilight of the Habsburg empire, Roth's family saga takes in the sweep of history and empire in Central Europe. The richly textured novel opens at the battle of Solferino, when young Lieutenant Trotta saves the life of the Emperor. (AST17, $16.95)

The Spies of Warsaw

The Spies of Warsaw


by Alan Furst

  • LITERATURE
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 266 PAGES

Alan Furst sets his richly atmospheric tale of espionage and love squarely amidst the leafy boulevards, grand squares, stately mansions and elegant cafes of the glittering 1937 capital. With a map on the inside covers, this isn't just a gripping novel, Furst's 10th WW II-era thriller, it's a guide to Warsaw of today. (PLD80, $15.00)

The Third Man and the Fallen Idol

The Third Man and the Fallen Idol


by Graham Greene

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 157 PAGES

A haunting tale and penetrating portrait of Vienna after World War II, "The Third Man" is the result of Greene's collaboration with Carol Reed on the classic movie. "The Fallen Idol" is a separate tale of intrigue set in Britain. (AST30, $14.00)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

The Unbearable Lightness of Being


by Milan Kundera

  • LITERATURE
  • 1999
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Kundera's intriguing novel, praised for its meditations on the nature of men and women, and on the fearful emptiness of life in Prague under Communist rule. We also carry Kundera's collection of short stories The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. (CZH16, $15.99)

Under the Frog

Under the Frog


by Tibor Fischer

  • LITERATURE
  • 2001
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Irony and wit pervade this novel set against the backdrop of the short-lived Hungarian revolution of 1956. The author's own experiences are played out by a cast of Kafkaesque characters all looking for a way though the turbulent days before the Russian tanks roll into Budapest. (HGR12, $17.00)

Vienna, A Traveler's Literary Companion

Vienna, A Traveler's Literary Companion


by Donald Daviau

  • ANTHOLOGY
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 256 PAGES

Organized by neighborhood, these 15 alluring tales introduce both the city and its writers, including Arthur Schnitzler, Robert Musil, Stefan Zweig and even Franz Kafka, who had a long and complicated association with the city. (AST94, $14.95)

More Recommendations

Here are some other groups of books that might be of interest

Longitude provides recommended reading for travelers in partnership with the leading tour operators and travel programs for hundreds of destinations worldwide. We've got the classic, new and hard-to-find books and maps to help you get the most out of your adventures.