All Along the Danube: Recipes from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, & Bulgaria  •  Marina Polvay FOOD •  2000 •  PAPER  • 360 PAGES Subtitled "Recipes from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania, & Bulgaria," this is a classic cookbook from Central Europe. It includes some thoughtful comments on culture. (EUR42, $16.95)
Attila, A Barbarian King Who Challenged Rome  •  John Man BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 336 PAGES A brisk, popular account of the life, political derring-do and military exploits of the fifth-century conqueror. Man interweaves his own research and travels with what little is known of the fearsome Huns and westward push from the Russian steppes. For a brief moment the Hun Empire stretched from the Caspian Sea to the Rhine, and south to the Baltic. (HGR46, $25.95)
Baroque and Rococo Art  •  Germain Bazin ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES An excellent illustrated survey of Baroque and Rococo art and architecture, this volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series is a good companion to the golden age of Middle Europe. (EUR53, $16.95)
Bela Bartok and Turn-of-the-Centry Budapest  •  Judith Frigyesi CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2000 •  PAPER  • 429 PAGES A look at Bartok's art and the social and culural life out of which it emerged in turn-of-the-century Hungary. Frigyesi's looks not only at Bartok but also the critic George Lukacs, and poet Endre Ady. (HGR35, $26.95)
Berlitz Pocket Guide Budapest  •  Paul Murphy GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A handy shirt pocket guide. (HGR48, $8.95)
Blue Guide Budapest  •  Bob Dent GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  A comprehensive guide to the art, architecture, museums, history and culture of Budapest. With 30 illustrations, maps and site diagrams, recommended restaurants, cafes and hotels. (HGR20, $18.95)
Bradt Guide Budapest  •  Adrian Phillips GUIDEBOOK •  2009 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES • COMING IN JANUARY A practical city guide in the popular British series. (HGR59, $14.99)
Bradt Guide Hungary  •  Jo Scotchmer  •  Adrian Phillips GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES A comprehensive guide in the Bradt series, which includes, in addition to plenty of practical travel information a good overview of history and culture. (HGR41, $21.95)
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)
Budapest Exit, A Memoir of Fascism, Communism and Freedom  •  Csaba Teglas BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 162 PAGES Teglas writes with simplicity of coming of age in Budapest during the Nazi invasion, Stalinist takeover and the failed 1956 Hungarian revolution. Through it all, he got a degree, married and riased a family -- and ultimately escaped to the United States. (HGR36, $27.95)
Central Europe Map  •  Freytag & Berndt 2004 •  MAP A colorful physical relief map of Central Europe at a scale of 1:2,000,000. (EUR12, $11.95)
Central Europe, Enemies, Neighbors, Friends  •  Lonnie Johnson HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 351 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, $39.95)
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)
Contemporary Jewish Writing In Hungary: An Anthology  •  Eva Forgacs  •  Susan Robin Suleiman ANTHOLOGY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 520 PAGES This anthology of Hungarian authors both famous (Pulitzer Prize winner Imre Kertesz) and never-before-published-in-English (too many to name) contains a mixture of novel and memoir excerpts, short stories and poetry. The authors span the generations from pre-World War II to post-Communist. The editors are distinguished in their own rights, Suleiman a Comparative Literature professor at Harvard, Forgacs an art history professor formerly of the Hungarian Academy of Crafts and Designs. (HGR39, $24.95)
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)
Danube  •  Claudio Magris CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2008 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A gifted novelist's stimulating journey down the Danube from its source in the heart of what once was the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the Balkans to the Black Sea. The book is an intellectually charged, evocative portrait of the places and personalities of Central Europe. Magris is an erudite, cerebral guide with a penchant for history. On some level, this wholly unclassifiable book is a travelogue. (EUR58, $16.00)
The Danube Cycleway, Donaueschingen to Budapest  •  John Higginson GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 168 PAGES A compact, practical guide to the 85-mile biking route along the Danube from Donaueschingen in Bavaria though Austria to Budapest. (CEU20, $18.95)
Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century and After  •  R. J. Crampton HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 526 PAGES A well-written, insightful scholarly country-by-county history of modern Eastern Europe. (EUR273, $42.95)
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)
Eyewitness Budapest Pocket Map & Guide  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES This wonderful guide to Budapest features color photography, easy-to-use foldout maps and top attractions. Convenient and up-to-date with an unbeatable price, this is the guide to carry. (HGR47, $6.99)
Fatelessness  •  Imre Kertesz  •  Tim Wilkinson LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES This powerful novel by a Pulitzer Prize-winner tells the story of a teenage boy deported from Hungary to the Nazi death camps in 1944. It's drawn from Kertesz's own experiences in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. In a new tranlsation by Tim Wilkinson. (CEU26, $13.95)
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)
Granta City Guides Budapest  •  Michael Jacobs GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 338 PAGES Organized as a series of walking tours, this practical city guide by the discerning editors of Granta magazine includes recommendations for hotels, restaurants, shops and cafes. (HGR50, $17.95)
Great Country Houses of Hungary  •  Lord Michael Pratt ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES A beautifully photographed collection of the Baroque castles and rococo villas that dot the Hungarian countryside. (HGR52, $39.95)
The Great Jewish Cities of Central and Eastern Europe  •  Eli Valley GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 538 PAGES Subtitled "A Travel Guide and Resource Book to Prague, Warsaw, Cracow, and Budapest," this guidebook covers the Jewish history and attractions of these major European cities. With suggested walks, site descriptions and information on each city's Jewish traditions, this is the most comprehensive guide of its type available. (EUR95, $72.00)
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, $23.95)
The Haunted Land, Facing Europe's Ghosts After Communism  •  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. Winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. (EUR54, $16.95)
Heart of Europe, The Past in Poland's Present  •  Norman Davies HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 483 PAGES A history of Poland in reverse chronology from the Solidarity Movement to early civilization, condensed from the author's definitive three-volume history. (PLD06, $24.99)
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)
Homage to the Eighth District, Tales from Budapest  •  Giorgio Pressburger  •  Nicola Pressburger LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 134 PAGES These 10 stories all take place in the Jewish quarter of Budapest during the middle of the 20th century. The brothers Pressburger paint a gloomy portrait of the ghetto and its Jewish residents, suffering at the hands of fascist and communist powers. What finally emerges, though, is a tribute to resilient people living in the harshest of conditions. (HGR23, $9.95)
Hungarian Folktales, the Art of Zsuzsanna Palko  •  Zsuzsanna Palko  •  Linda Degh LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER A collection of folktales told in the late 1940s and early 1950s by Palko, a well known Hungarian storyteller. Annotations and an essay on the tales by scholar Linda Degh. (HGR16, $25.00)
Hungarian Practical Dictionary, Hungarian-English English-Hungarian  •  Eva Szabo REFERENCE •  2005 •  PAPER A convenient bilingual dictionary. (HGR44, $24.95)
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)
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)
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, $29.95)
Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague  •  Rick Rodgers FOOD •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 232 PAGES A sumptuous presentation of the elegant desserts and romantic cities of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. (EUR206, $37.50)
Knopf Guide Budapest  •  Knopf Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2000 •  PAPER A sumptuously illustrated, handsome guide to Budapest and surroundings with an excellent overview of culture, history and attractions. (HGR28, $25.00)
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)
Masquerade, Dancing Around Death in Nazi Occupied Hungary  •  Tividar Soros BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Once you know that Mr. Soros is the father of philanthropist George Soros, you might guess that his family survives the Holocaust even before reading this optimistic memoir. Tividar Soros was a lawyer in Budapest, and once the fascists took over he forged fake papers for his family and had them disperse into the countryside, where they all miraculously survived. That they do so is a tribute to the elder Soros' resourcefulness and skill. Despite his upbeat leanings, though, even he admits that "luck must be on your side." (HGR40, $13.95)
Memoirs of an Anti-Semite, A Novel in Five Stories  •  Gregor Von Rezzori LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Set against a backdrop of Central Europe between the wars, these five connected stories follow the fate of a young Romanian -- and his tense, vacillating relationship with Jews (including his own Jewish wife). Originally serialized in the New Yorker in 1969, it's a brilliant, disturbing book. Born in Bukovina in the Capathian mountains, Rezzori's many novels and essays address shifting notions of identity in Central Europe since WWI. (CEU27, $19.00)
Moon Handbook Prague and Budapest  •  Tom Dirlis GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 370 PAGES A practical guide in the Moon series, packed not only with travel necessities (hotels, restaurants, sights), but also with a good overview of history and destinations throughout Prague and Budapest. (CZH86, $17.95)
Nationalist Politics and Everyday Ethnicity in a Transylvanian Town  •  Rogers Brubaker CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 502 PAGES Brubaker uses the village of Cluj, a small Transylvanian hamlet with a significant Hungarian minority, to examine nationalist and ethnic identity. (EUR265, $55.00)
Neither Here Nor There, Travels in Europe  •  Bill Bryson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 254 PAGES An American expatriate in London, Bryson deploys his cranky humor in this romp through European capitals. While he doesn't do much to displace national stereotypes, this book is nonetheless great fun to read and insightful on the quirks of character. (EUR25, $14.95)
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)
The Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of Eastern Europe  •  Dennis Hupchick  •  Harold Cox HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 130 PAGES • COMING IN 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, $19.95)
The Radetzky March  •  Joseph Roth  •  Joachim Neugroschel LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 331 PAGES First published in 1932, this powerful novel spins a tale of three generations of the Trotta family set against the waning days of the Habsburg Empire. A neglected masterpiece, this translation captures the historical sweep, close observations and irony of the German original. (AST17, $16.95)
Return to Diversity: A Political History of East Central Europe Since World War II  •  Joseph Rothschild HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 338 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE An opinionated, well-written and clear political history of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania since WWII, completely revised for this third edition to reflect post-Soviet realities. (EUR31, $34.95)
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)
Skylark  •  Dezso Kosztolanyi LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 243 PAGES Set in the autumn of 1899, Kosztolanyi's short novel is a classic portrait of provincial life during the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. (HGR55, $16.95)
Thunder at Twilight, Vienna 1913-1914  •  Frederic Morton HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES A portrait of the city on the brink of World War by the author of Vienna, A Nervous Splendor. (AST67, $18.95)
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)
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)