There is only one way to describe this book, serviceable. If you are interested in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, this book will appeal to you. Of course the issue of the war was not minor. The decision as to who would dominate the as yet divided states of Germany was decided, and Bismark's design for a united Germany under Prussian domination moved one step closer. The First World War became a little more inevitable with the Prussian victory, and also the fatal weakness of Austria, the ally in the Great War that the Prussia had defeated 38 years earlier, moved closer to becoming an albatross around Germany,s neck. Understand, however, that this book is primarily a military history of the war. You will find material here on the campaign against Prussia's junior ally Italy, the major actions between Austria and Prussia, and a two chapter treatment of Koniggratz. The naval aspects of the war are not covered and you will find no discussion of Lissa here.

This is a really good book. It is very easy to read. The author has studied primary sources in Italy and Austria (the best German primary sources did not survive WWII). It covers both the Italian and German theatres - it is primarily about the war from the Austrian Army's point of view, so there isn't that much about the Bavarian's, etc, and the naval campaign is barely mentioned.

The only way this book could have been improved significantly would have been to have had a statistical annex filled with strengths and casualties by regiment for each day of combat.

The Austro-Prussian War, by history professor Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, is a well-written and interesting revisionist account of that oft-neglected conflict in 1866. Dr. Wawro has assembled an impressive amount of existing and new source material that sheds an entirely new light on the brief war of 1866 that brought Prussia to the brink of German unification and presaged a new era of professionalization in war. Wawro's account is particularly strong in its use of Austrian and Italian sources; the Italian role in the war is usually reduced to a few paragraphs but in these pages it is covered in great detail. However, readers should be aware that Dr. Wawro's account is revisionist in intent and tone, which the author does not always make clear. Dr. Wawro's central hypothesis is that both Austria and Prussia were fairly evenly matched opponents but that, "Austria did lose in 1866 for many reasons, but chiefly because...Ludwig Benedek, Austria's supreme commander on the Prussian front, revealed himself to be a supremely incompetent general." While the author also cites the technical superiority of the Prussian needle gun and the poor combat performance of many ethnic minority units in the Austrian army, the main cause the author ascribes for Austrian defeat is the poor generalship of Benedek. The "inferior generalship" hypothesis is a difficult one to prove, particularly given notable lapses in Prussian generalship, but by and large the author succeeds. Overall, the Austro-Prussian War belongs on any bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in the evolution of 19th Century warfare.

The Austro-Prussian War consists of 11 chapters, beginning with strategy and tactics in 1866 and origins of the war. Two more chapters cover opposing war plans and Italian involvement in the conflict. The fifth chapter covers the Battle of Custoza and the rout of the Italian Mincio Army. The next three chapters cover the covering force battles that preceded the decisive battle of Königgrätz, and then the next two chapters cover the battle itself. A final chapter covers the aftermath of the battle, which does an excellent job discussing the results and implications of the war. The author has included many sketch maps in the book, which while useful, are rather crude and incomplete. None of the maps have scales or depict railroad lines, or even depict tactical movements. I found it necessary to consult another source on the war that had better maps, to follow the author's narrative. There are also a number of photographs, mostly of Austrian generals (note, other than one photo of Moltke, there are no photos or illustrations from the Prussian side). The author includes excellent footnotes and a detailed bibliography, but no appendices. An appendix listing rival orders of battle and casualties in the war would have been useful.

For military professionals, the author's discussion of the development of Austrian "fire tactics" and the needle gun will be an interesting evolutionary study. While the author notes that not all Prussian commanders subscribed to these tactics, the superiority of the tactics in themselves are not so clear because the author tends to ascribe too much importance to the needle gun. The author ignores the importance of combined arms tactics in favor of over-emphasis of one weapon system. While the needle gun was revolutionary as the first mass-produced breech-loading rifle and conferred firepower advantages to the Prussian infantry, the rest of the Prussian combined arms team was pretty weak. Prussian artillery was obsolescent, Prussian cavalry was timid and poorly trained and the vital support services were not up to supplying a fast-moving campaign. On the Austrian side, the retention of column assaults bordered on reactionary but such tactics did not become truly obsolete until the introduction of the machinegun. Austrian artillery and cavalry was superior, but these arms were improperly used. Two interesting areas of modern military technology that the author fails to address in detail are the use of telegraph and railroads. While the author does mention that the Austrians foolishly shunned the use of telegraphs, they do not seemed to have suffered badly for it, but the Prussians who did use telegraphs were often out of communications and suffered badly from lack of adequate command and control. The military use of the railroad is hardy mentioned, and one wonders why Benedek - who enjoyed an excellent rail net in Bohemia and Moravia - was constantly marching his troops to and fro instead of using rail lines to transfer troops rapidly.

The author's conclusions about the implications of the war are also striking, "the complete triumph of Prussian grand strategy in 1866 served to tighten the political connection between the Prusso-German state and army. After 1866, the example of Königgrätz suggested that Prussia-Germany could extend its influence and make vast annexations against any rival if only it struck fast and hard enough. This thinking, which originated with Clausewitz and Moltke, would be the basis of Prusso-German military strategy in 1870, 1914 and 1939." The author notes that other armies attempted to copy the Prussian military professional standards after Königgrätz, but none fully succeeded. Indeed, the Austrians failed to learn much from their defeat and in fact their military capabilities declined. However, one interesting question that the author does not ask is that given the demonstrated military incompetence of the Austrian and Italian armies in 1866, why did Prussia choose to later ally itself with such second-rate powers? In choice of weapons and tactics the Germans clearly excelled, but in choice of allies they were clearly inferior.

This book defied my expectations in several different ways: despite being an academic press, it was superbly written and engaging; though primarily a diplomatic history, it proved itself briskly paced, with lively characters and more than occasional joke; also, it overcame the verdict of hindsight that usually treats the War of the Austrian Succession (1741-48) as a mere prelude to the Seven Year's War (1756-63).

There are three real stars of this story. First, Maria Theresa herself, at whose destruction the war was originally aimed, who rallied her subjects and her armies, even as Franco-Prussian alliance had overrun Upper Austria; second, the Marshall de Saxe, bastard son of the exiled Polish King, who rose to become one of France's greatest soldiers (and a future hero to Napoleon); third - and perhaps the biggest surprise, King Charles Emannuel of Savoy-Piedmont, military-diplomatic mastermind of Northern Italy, who, despite his second-tier status within European royalty, parlayed his strategic Alpine position between France and Austria to emerge as the preeminent prince of Italy. Needless to say, there are other luminaries - Argenson and Belle-Isle, the mad French war ministers, waging war without purpose; Bonnie Prince Charlie, Stuart adventurer (and Bourbon cats paw); King George II, victor of Dettingen (last British monarch to fight in battle); Frederick II of Prussia, unscrupulous genius, conqueror of Silesia; and Empress Elizabeth, the Russian wild-card. This is history of the kind found in Tuchman's "Guns of August" and John Keegan's works; richly rewarding.

Mid Eighteenth Century political/military history is not everyone's cup of tea. The War of Austrian Succession does not have the cache of the better known Seven Years War or the War of Spanish Succession. Nevertheless, the War of Austrian Succession/Silesian Wars has a lot to recommend it. The story of the teenaged Maria Theresa who upon ascending the thrown is greedily attacked by Prussia, Bavaria and France is a great story. With no credible allies, Maria Theresa was able to rally her people to defend her empire.

Reed Browning is good writer and has the organizational ability to help the reader keep track of the myriad of diplomatic and military details. My only criticism is the pathetic maps that accompany the book. The poor author must have not found the money to include better maps with his book.

The War of Austrian Succession is an obscure war. Reed Browning has done a wonderful job of bringing a little known conflict to life.

The War of the Austrian succession began when Frederick the Great(as he was to become eventually) invaded Silesia on 16 Dec 1740 and ended with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748. This book is well-researched and a reader can be confident that an accurate and competent account is being read. Anyone who wants to read such an account will welcome this book. Solid, well-written, authoritative.

A powerful story about a family in the grip of Nazi Gremany. So moving, I was glad it was a novel. The pain of seeing family members brutalized by the German soldiers is something I wish our young people could understand the privelges they have. Recommed this work

A young Jewish girl -- nine when we first meet her and nearly fourteen when the book ends -- experiences the beginning of World War II with her parents in Hungary (and her grandmother in the Ukraine). Eventually, she, her family, and all the Jews of their small town, are forced to leave their homes and await a train that will take them to Auschwitz. This is a terribly sad coming of age story that is accessible to children older than ten. It doesn't explain the Holocaust, but it goes further than most books in allowing readers to 'experience' the fear, confusion, and especially the courage felt and displayed by the characters. Indeed, the author, who based the story of her own experiences, does an outstanding job drawing all the characters, including a number of the non-Jewish townspeople and one particular non-Jewish Hungarian soldier. It is especially interesting to learn so much about small-town life in the Hungarian-Ukrainian border region. It is sad, but not at all morose. It is inspirational -- because so many characters, young and old, display courage and fortitude in the face of increasing misfortune. And it is filled with compassion -- you almost feel sorry for the non-Jews who turn their backs on their Jewish neighbors. In one scene, the young narrator, who can only take a few items with her into the ghetto, gives her record player and records to her non-Jewish friend, to hold for her until she returns, even though they have not spoken to each other since the Jewish children were excluded from the town's schools. You can feel the hope of the narrator that someday she might return, get back her records, and they can play together again. And you can feel the shame the non-Jewish friend feels -- wanting to still be friends, but feeling constrained by the societal pressure to ostracize the Jews. At one point the author recalls her Grandmother's words that Jews and non-Jews 'are all the children of God.' But she is looking at a German guard preparing to force them on to the train to Auschwitz. And she wonders if this cold, grey man -- who is ignoring all the suffering around him -- is also a child of God. Clearly, the author does not draw any of the Nazi characters compassionately. On the other hand, their actions and their treatment of others evoke our pity, more than our hatred -- for they, the Nazis, had clearly forgotten that all people are 'the children of God.' This book is filled with the 'humanity' and 'humankindness' exhibited by the Jews who are subjected to oppression, hatred and derision, but who respond by helping each other and those who are less fortunate. The author expresses very little hatred towards the oppressor. But I was left with a terrible sadness, knowing that the German and Hungarian oppressors chose to act inhumanely -- they did it to themselves -- they denied their 'humanity.' There is no way that I could forgive such horrible people, but this book is the first book that made me pity them. I look forward to reading the sequel: 'Grace in the Wilderness.'

Upon The head of a Goat Written By aranka Siegal is an stroy about a young girlgrowing up in Hungary during world war ll. It is hard enough for her to grow up unable to see her family, but she has more troubles because she is Jewish. Piri, a nine year old girl, has been visiting her grandmother in Komjaty for a year and she in finally able to return home. When she returns home there have been many changes. Her family has a hard life. They were sent to a Ghetto later to be sent to Auschwitz. An terrible concentration camp. What will happen to Piri and her family when they arrive in Auschwitz? I recommend this book because you really get the feel of how hard this young girl had it growing up.

Il testo di Deaglio, scritto assai bene perchè agile e di piacevole lettura senza essere affatto romanzato, ha una pluralità di pregi, dei quali è naturalmente in parte debitore alla straordinaria vicenda che racconta ed allo spessore morale del protagonista: dal punto di vista storico ricostruisce l'impegno di un italiano (per di più sinceramente fascista) che - come altri, ma non tanti come ci piacerebbe pensare - ha concretamente agito per aiutare e salvare un gran numero di ebrei (nel caso di specie, ungheresi); si tratta di una vicenda stranamente poco conosciuta proprio in Italia, dove spesso ci si compiace di minimizzare l'antisemitismo degli anni '30 e '40, ma - non a caso - si esita ad indicare con precisione cosa è riuscito a fare chi, come Perlasca, ha messo la propria vita e la propria intelligenza al servizio della difesa degli ebrei, non limitandosi alla contemplazione dei propri pacifici sentimenti, per poi lasciare che la Storia li offendesse impunemente. Questa considerazione ci sposta sull'altro pregio del libro, che è quello di un semplice ma fondamentale insegnamento: è nel momento in cui la scelta morale ha senso che bisogna compierla, accettandone i rischi. Perlasca, lo racconta lui stesso in un breve dialogo con Deaglio risalente a poco prima della sua morte e riportato nel libro, non nutriva particolari sentimenti a favore degli ebrei nè era mai stato una persona che ponesse i principi al di sopra della vita: era nella vita, che solo così rimaneva la sua vita, che non intendeva avallare l'orribile strage, ed era nella vita che ha creato lo spazio per operare con semplicità (ma con grandissimo coraggio) contro lo sterminio, sfruttando alcune circostanze favorevoli (i pregressi rapporti commerciali con la Spagna, ad es., e la sua conoscenza dello spagnolo assieme alla fuga dell'ambasciatore iberico da Budapest) e una personale capacità di iniziativa che verosimilmente ne avrebbero fatto un uomo capace e determinato in qualunque campo. Qui è Rodi è qui devi saltare! venne detto all'atleta che si vantava di saper compiere balzi prodigiosi, ma solo quando era nell'isoletta. Qui è la croce del presente, commentava Hegel la storiella; questa croce Perlasca sembra essersela laicamente addossata senza alcuna remora e senza particolari travagli intellettuali. "Cosa avrebbe fatto lei al mio posto?", chiede una volta a Deaglio, quasi a dimenticare che la risposta è nei milioni di tedeschi, italiani, polacchi, ungheresi ecc., che in verità non hanno fatto proprio nulla e hanno lasciato che il genocidio si compisse. Questa semplicità di Perlasca - il non poter fare altrimenti che così, per poter continuare a vivere con se stessi - è giustamente sottolineata da Deaglio nel titolo del libro che ovviamente risponde a quello con cui Hannah Harendt ha reso memorabile il proprio resoconto del processo ad Eichmann. In quel processo tutti coloro che venivano chiamati a rispondere dei propri comportamenti ne sottolineavano, appunto, la "banalità", quasi che la macchina dello sterminio sarebbe potuta funzionare senza tanti gesti e adesioni di per sè non straordinari. Deaglio accetta la "sfida" dei testimoni/complici del processo Eichmann, per mostrare con efficacia che agire per il bene anzichè per il male non necessariamente avrebbe richiesto comportamenti eccezionali. Ma in cuor nostro sappiamo che di uomini come Perlasca non ce ne sono mai stati molti, e gli siamo grati della speranza di saper essere, se fosse necessario, "banali" come lui.

I'm Italian but I never knew anything'bout Giorgio Perlasca and his story. I was amazed in realising that a non politician but a simple man was able to help so much the Jews, while many powerful people and politicians not even tried. Great book. Great person. He deserved to be more famous than he acrtually have been

I was first attracted to this book when I read an article by its translator in Commonweal magazine. The article, "A Fascist who saved Jews" seemed unbelievable to me. However, Banality of Goodness captures perfectly the brilliance of Giorgio Perlasca, an individual in a war full of labels and party-loyalties. Being Italian while posing as Spanish to save Jews in Budapest, Perlasca's story demonstrates the true universality of goodness that confuses and overrides governmental or even religious allegiances. This book focuses on personal virtue and even asks the question, "What would you have done?" This is a Holocaust story like no other. The scenario is not typical, and the perspective is not tragic, but inspirational. Of course, it speaks of the gruesomeness of genocide, but moreso, it explains creative strategies, amazing guts, and a modest hero. America is lucky to finally have a publication to teach us about this story of virtue.

Holger Herwig's First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary takes a unique perspective when analyzing the war. Instead of traditional theories that still attempt to place war-guilt and blame onto Germany, Herwig's position is that war needs to be viewed from Germany's position.

In describing the German point of view, Herwig illustrates how the war might have been the brief encounter people expected in 1914, but became a drawn out conflict largely due to Austria-Hungary and the ineptness of Austrian leaders. Once this occurred, it was only a matter of time before Germany could no longer sustain its war effort. Food shortages on the German homefront greatly hindered German military capabilities. Germany kept tapping its reserve of manpower usually to bolster Austrian blunders. Frequently Germany saved the day and kept Austria in the war (Germany had little choice but to assist her feeble ally if there was to be any hope of winning the war).

But Herwig is also critical of German high command,Falkenhayn, Hindenburg, and Ludendorff for its handling of the western front, notably the Somme, Verdun, and Passchendaele. The German high command was no more or less capable or inept as the allied high command; Germany as a nation was as much caught up in the war as Britain, France, or Russia. Herwig's main point is that after seventy years, the war guilt blame still falls upon Germany because Germany lost the war and Britain and France dictated the peace.

This book is essential for any student of the Great War. Herwig's thesis may seem radical to those who prefer the war-guilt pro Anglo-French analysis, but Herwig's understanding of the war and his presentation of facts cannot be easily discredited. His outright blame of Austria-Hungary as Germany's real nemesis may sound like sour grapes, but this is an outstanding historical effort.

The First World War destroyed the old imperial system that had governed Europe. Prior to the war central Europe was dominated by the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Imperial Russia. As a result of the war these countries were torn apart by social revolution with Communism taking control in Russia and Fascism in Germany.

Herwig in his stunning book explains why. The stunning incompetence of all of the participants in this conflict were breathtaking. The military incompetence of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was such that they had lost close to one million men in the first year of the war. However conventional histories fail to look at the way countries managed their economies. Neither Germany nor Austro-Hungary were able to feed their populations during the war or even turned their mind to it.

The war years were a time when the normal people in those counties slowly starved to death, suffering from a range of diseases brought on by poor nutrition to witness their husbands and children taken away to die in huge numbers at the front.

The book is a stunning inditement of all of the great powers of the time. The First World War is the first cause of a lot which has gone wrong with this century.

The focus of Holger Herwig's book is from the perspective of Germany and its principle ally, Austria-Hungary. Herwig implicitly argues Germany/Austria-Hungary lost the war because of incompetent generalship, and mismanagement of inadequate resources needed to wage war on a massive scale. Specifically, Herwig blames the failure on the Dual-Monarchy, its unwillingness to subordinate and cooperate in conjunction with its more powerful ally, Germany. Herwig downplays the myth of German military might and attempts to demonstrate that not even Germany, who had showed such greatness as a military power in the latter half of the 19th Century was ready for 20th Century style warfare. Herwig utilizes a chronological method and highly readable narrative style throughout. Generally, Herwig incorporates the standard top-down military/ diplomatic history approach describing causes of the war, mobilization, battles and leaders, major campaigns and results of the war. To a lesser degree, Herwig takes a look at the affects of war on society with such themes as hunger, disease, labor on the home front and gender issues. Overall, Herwig builds his argument by consulting archival sources previously waved over by the "Anglo-centric preoccupations of English language historians" (Strachan, quoted in Herwig, p. xiii). The author admits that a substantial amount of evidence dealing with the Great War was destroyed during bombing raids in WWII. He points out, however, that the reunification of Germany in 1989 has made available documents never before considered by western historians. Herwig relys heavily upon official histories of the war, mainly, Reichsarchiv's Der Weltkrieg 1914-1918, state papers focusing on other German states besides Prussia, and the official history of the Austrian-Hungarian Army. This source material is gleaned from many world famous archival institutions such as: Bundesarchiv (Koblenz), Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv (Freiburg), and Vienna's Haus-, Hof- und Staataarchiv, Politisches Archiv and Österreichisches Staatsarchiv. The author also utilizes diaries and memoirs; dissertations and scholarly articles; and secondary sources assembled in perhaps one of the most impressive bibliographies in recent military literature. Although highly readable, the author tends to be too general at times. For example, the Germans advanced through Belgium in a few sentences without any mention of the Belgium resistance or the Germany atrocities committed there in reprisal. One may notice that not once did he mention the scholarship of the historian Barbara Tuchman. In describing campaigns and battles, In contrast to John Keegan's _First World War_, Herwig focuses too much on the top echelons and rarely gets below corps level when recounting troop movements and engagements. Intermittently, Herwig fails to cite sources, particularly when quoting statistics, casualty figures, and troop strength (there are examples where he does quote statistical evidence though). Unlike Martin Gilbert's _First World War_ Herwig succeeds in illustrating the role of Austria-Hungary to great affect. The social/economic aspects of the war are handled adequately without diminishing the 'old style' military history narrative. The book's readability is one of its greatest strengths. Even a one-volume history of The First World War can be daunting, however Herwig captures and holds the reader's attention. On the whole, this work is a valuable addition to WWI literature.

Habsburg Monarchy was in an awkward geopolitical situation in 19th and early 20th century. And she was a multi-national political entity. In such a situation, true independence is impossible. A. J. P. Taylor analyzed the situation excellently and his analysis helped me understand not only Austria(-Hungary), but also Germany(Prussia) and Russia.

After the revolution of 1848, Hungarian nationalism grew more and more. And after the Austro-Prussian War, Dualism of Austria-Hungary was established. While Habsburg Monarchy was European necessity, Hungary became Bismarck's necessity to check German liberalism. 'Empire of seventy million(ie, unified German-Austria)' was a threat not only to Bismarck but also to Francis Joseph. Francis Joseph hated liberalism and called in nationalism against liberalism. (It is interesting that the same liberalism can have different political meanings according to places.) And the nationlism encroached his empire.

Taylor simply omitted many important issues and concentrated on what he wanted to write. So this book is not recommendable to casual readers. But if you have some background knowledge of 19th century European history and are interested in nationalism of European countries, I believe you will never regret after reading this book.

Published in 1948, this concise book is a good overview of the Habsburg monarchy over the last century of its existence. It is written with the wit and sometimes sarcastic judgements for which Taylor was known well. Taylor's theme is the attempt of the Empire to cope simultaneously with the internal pressures exerted by the awakening of nationalism among the subject peoples of the regime and the external pressures of dealing with the rising powers of Germany and Russia. This is primarily a political history but draws astutely on relevant social and intellectual history. This book can only be read by individuals with a good basic knowledge of 19th century European history. Taylor shows that the survival of the Habsburg state was a paradoxical function of internal and external conflicts that embroiled it. The aggressive Hungarians, for example, wished to preserve it because it provided a vehicle for their domination of other ethnic groups within the historic borders of Hungary. Bismarck wanted to preserve the Habsburg state to avoid the diplomatic and internal political complications that would follow its dissolution. For decades, external and internal conflicts existed in uncomfortable equipoise punctuated by recurrent conflicts that never resolved any of the basic issues. Taylor provides a sophisticated analysis of this problem and interesting characterizations of the major interest groups and political figures involved. A particularly interesting aspect of this book is the concise analysis of developing nationalism. While this is not the main theme, Taylor provides some interesting insights into the development of nationalism in the various parts of the Habsburg state. He shows, in particular, the dynamic quality of nationalism, its origin in most cases as Romantic intellectual movements, and its development as being tied up in many cases with the organs of the Habsburg bureaucracy. There has been much written in recent years about the social construction of nationalism and recent events in the Balkans have given this topic a great deal of relevance. Taylor's analysis antedates by decades the writing of scholars like Benedict Anderson, whose book Imagined Communities has been very influential, but these recent scholars would have taught Taylor nothing. An interesting example of rediscovering the wheel.

This was the first book I read on the topic that later became the basis for my dissertation. Taylor captured the big picture best, wrote the best, brought in enough detail to tell the story vividly, stated his biases and viewpoint clearly, and did it in far fewer pages than most others. Absolutelyl necessary, but not for beginners. This should be your second book. All the more important today as the Soviet Empire breakup and discussion of the American "empire" bear close comparison with a REAL dynastic empire.

This was a great book! It really told about her experiences during the whole war and what many people had to go through. I would definitely recommend it!

The story that this woman has to tell about her experience is absolutely amazing. I work at a private school in Maine, and I have had the privilege of hearing her read one of her chapters aloud, and, along with the room of 300, I sat mesmerized by her powerful story of personal courage and perseverance. As she mentioned, the chance of hearing holocaust survivors tell their own story grows smaller each year. Listening to her tell her story, my husband and I realized that although she had suffered such inhumane treatment, she has not lost any of her humanity. She was truly inspirational, and the powerful message that she gave our students was to work for understanding and harmony while also enjoying the happy moments in their own lives. Despite the ups and downs, life is a wonderful gift. Hearing someone like Mrs. Isaacson tell you that you can look on the bright side of your life really puts everyday troubles into perspective.

This book is one of the greatest ive ever read. It is written so well, that the reader transforms himself into Jutka's life, and seems to experience this book as if it were his own experience. This is one fo the most stuningly realistic survivor books, ever written. There are no words that can express the power of this book, completely.

Preparing for a trip to Hungary, I enjoyed Sisa's rather old-fashioned narrative history. Suprisingly, the opening chapters proved gripping, filled with enthusiastically rendered anecdotes about early rulers, medieval battles, and lots of double-crossing diplomats and nobles. There's material here for a dozen epic (English-language at least!) novels or movies. Extracts from historical novels sprinkled throughout the book from otherwise untranslated Hungarian authors spice up Sisa's entrees vividly.

As Hungary becomes its own empire, then falls under Turkish and Habsburg dominance, the story keeps pace. When the Austrians take over, and nationalism emerges, you root for the heroes even as Sisa fairly tries to show how other Hungarians and minority peoples allied with the imperialists for their own reasons. Distinguishing the "state" from a "people" and a "nation" clarifies his presentation for Western readers who may lump these terms differently than they apply to Central Europe and the Balkans.

I found the latter part of the book a bit less engrossing; I expected more on 1956 and especially the Kadar period up to 1989. This post-revolt stage seems glossed over too quickly, even as other sections elaborate (especially in the second and third editions) in too much detail for the novice diplomatic and territorial confrontations with Romania, the former Czechoslovakia, and the Balkan states regarding Hungarian minorities and the aftermath of Trianon. This material may better suit political students of this period than the first-time reader wanting a panoramic view of Hungarian history and culture.

The absence of tanchaz music and the 1980s folk-music revival (Muszikas, Marta Sebestyen, romany/gypsy artists for example) bringing Hungary onto the "world music" scene means that you find a lot deservedly on classical music but not its modern folk offshoots and grafts. However, plenty of coverage of art and literature balances this omission, I suppose.

Written with obvious love and passion, yet remaining fair-minded about, say, the mixed blessings and upheavals Jewish immigration caused in the 19th c., the betrayals of its leaders, or the demands of minorities within Hungary's shifting borders, Sisa's book filled a need for a popularly aimed, solid work--belying its coffee-table size and rather rough-hewn cut-and-paste (pre-word processing) layout. Best read a few chapters at a time, the old-fashioned way: in a comfy armchair, propped open on your lap.

Stephen's Sisa's book is a very illuminating and thought-provoking one on Hungarian history and culture. In my opinion, it provides a very accessible book for those who wish to gain some insight into Hungarian history and culture. It sheds light on many little-known facts in Hungarian history. A good example is the chapter on Miklos Wesselenyi. A virtual unknown outside of Hungary, but by all accounts, a revered and well-loved nobleman in the Hungarian consciousness. My sole regret is that the book is very Hungarian-centered - some chapters tend to paint Hungary's neighbours in a singularly unfavourable light. (Ex. chapters describing Hungary's geopolitical situation, and the alleged extreme bias towards Hungary displayed after WWI). While it is no doubt true that Hungary's neighbours and the victors of WWI were not angels or the epitome of virtue and fairness, it is in my mind foolish to think that the Hungarians are implicitly one step above everyone else as alluded to in the book.

However, this is a minor complaint, and Sisa can be forgiven for getting a little carried away by the spirit of the book. Who wouldn't?

Nevertheless, I still highly recommend this work, and be prepared for a fairly enjoyable and enthralling read on Hungarian history!

I had the opportunity to read the book's third edition, appeared in 1995, comparing it with its original edition and found it considerably improved. Besides giving very good data about the facts of Hungary's history, it is also spiced with chapters from famous historical novels, which gives an additional insight to some important historical moments (I liked specially "The pagans"). It also contains an ample panorama of Hungarian culture, an explanation of the origin of Hungarian language and a description of Hungarian music, literature and art. A very recommendable book for all persons, who wish to receive an insight to Hungary's history, past and present. After five years, a new edition, with updates of the latest events, like the 1100 years of the establishment of Hungarians in the Carpathian basin and the Millenium year of St. Stephen's crowning, would be welcome.

Who were the secret Jews of the Iberian Peninsula? I have heard the term "Marano", but this book talks about "Crypto-Jews" and "Conversos." There are other terms as well. They were Jews who forcibly or willingly converted to Christianity during the Inquisition and continued to live in Spain, Portugal, and their colonies after the 1492 expulsion. "Crypto" refers to those who tried to still live as underground Jews, at least in the first two generations, and to preserve something of their Jewish heritage, always in danger of being informed on and subject to the Inquisition. Even today, there are people who can trace their ancestry to the Maranos or conversos.

This is a meticulously researched historical cookbook by a husband and wife team who are professors at the University of Rhode Island. The documentation comes from medieval cookbooks and surprisingly from Inquisition trial records, where we have the actual names of the accused. The culinary influences span the 14th through the 17th centuries, but the focus of this book is on the recipes of conversos, converted Jews who continued under Spanish and Portuguese rule after the the 1492 expulsion.

In many cases, the original recipes of those on trial were only lists, but through the medieval cookbooks, they were able to clarify a lot of the confusion. This is not a Kosher cookbook. There is even a recipe which includes pork, which shows the extent to which some of the conversos had assimilated. Indeed, as the authors point out, what makes these recipes Jewish and proof of the accused individuals' Jewish practice, is sometimes in doubt, as prior to the Inquisition period at the beginning of the 14th century, the three main religions lived side by side and all cooking was largely a mixture of Mediterranean and Arabic influences, and what was available in the region. The inquisitors, albeit not looking for true justice, must have recognized that, and appeared much more interested in obtaining "proof" of "Judaizing" through observance and practice - evidence of Kashering meats for example, not eating pork or shellfish, and evidence of preparation of special holiday foods, such as Matzoh, and preparing foods especially for Friday night.

The authors have lab tested the recipes and updated them for the modern kitchen, while preserving the text of the original. For example, they humorously tell you how they have altered receipes for Almori, a fermented down mess of rotted barley, vegetables, unleavened bread, salt, herbs, and spices. Lamb was a popular meat dish, and is replicated here in meat pies. Sausages, fish, cheeses, and various egg recipes are represented. There are several matzoah "Pan Cenceno" recipes and one for "Harotzet Balls."

This is an important contribution to a little known period of Jewish history and a tribute to those who died or suffered for their religion. Whether you try these recipes in your kitchen or not, without a doubt but you will want to read and relish this book from cover to cover.

In a book that is equal parts history and cookbook, authors Gitlitz and Davidson explore the world of the Crypto-Jews or Conversos - Jews who converted to Christianity during the Spanish Inquisition but who continued to practice their religion in secret. Inquisitors were tireless in their efforts to uncover these clandestine Jews, and one of their means was to identify characteristically Jewish traditions in food preparation and eating. Their records provide part of the basis for this fascinating look at how the sweep of world history intersected with the mundane details of ordinary lives. The introduction includes a discussion of characteristic ingredients and techniques, and each recipe is accompanied by the story of the person who was implicated by the simple act of preparing a meal. Most of the recipes are too exotic for my family's taste, but the ones I tried worked well. If you like to encounter history through taste and smell and the experience of re-creating your ancestors' dinners - or just want to imagine what those meals were like - then you will relish this book.

I came across this in the shelves the other day and was mesmerized. David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson are a husband and wife team and teachers at the the University of Rhode Island. David is a past winner of the 1996 National Jewish Book Award, and he is a specialist in aljamas (jewish neighborhoods), the converso/crypto Jews, the anusim (forced converts) and the meshumadim (willing coverts). Using cookbooks and Inquisition documents in Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan (including the rare 13th Century Al Andalus cookbook of the Cocina Hispano-Magribi), the authors have recreating over 90 recipes of the Converso jewish community. During the Inquisitions in the Iberian peninsula, Jews and Moslems were killed, exiled, or converted. Some of the converted remained Jewish or Moslem and became Crypto-Jews, Crypto-Moslems, or Conversos. Spain expelled Jews in 1492 (you know, when Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue); Portugal expelled Jews in 1497. The recipes are well categorized, and make use of lamb, beef, fish, eggplant, greens, turnips, chickpeas, as well as mace, cinnamon, ginger, lavender, rue, portulaca, and dozens of other spices. Most recipes include histories and characters of the period, which is the prime motivation to purchase this book. For example, along of the recipes of Beatrice Nunez, we learn that she was arrested in 1485. Her maid turned her in to the Inquisition for the crime of maintaining a kosher kitchen. She also prepared a Sabbath stew of lamb, chickpeas and eggs. Proof enough to have her burned at the stake. Among my favorite recipes is Mayor Gonzalez's Egg and Carrot Casserole. She was imprisoned in 1483 for killing a goose in "the Jewish way." Then there is Juan Sanchez's hamin of chickpeas, spinach and cabbage; and Maria de Luna's rasquillas, honey pastries that she prepared for the post-Yom Kippur fast. She was arrested in 1505 for this crime. There is also Juan de Teva's Roast Lamb dish. Juan's father was a rabbi who was burned to death i n1484. The authors also include the Roast Chicken with Fruit and Almori recipe of Anton de Montoro. Senor de Montoro was a rag merchat in Cordoba, but is most well known as being the converso poet to the Court of Queen Isabel of Castile. De Montoro was accused of preparing stuffed radishes (a Jewish dish) and Pollo Judio (jewish chicken). Easily, this is among the top three Jewish Cookbooks of the year.

Bob Gore loaned this book to us in response to our plea for information about Austria and Switzerland. I was unsure of its interest for me at first, fearing that it might be little more than a condensed version of the scholarly work that kept popping up on all my book searches called The History of the Hapsburgs from way too long ago until 1918 (I paraphrase from memory). On the other hand, I had to admire an historian who limited himself not only to one city, but to a nine month time period. That's like having a jazz musician limit herself to a ten-second solo.

The limitations paid off, however, mainly because Morton's selection of those few months enable him to cover a highly significant moment of Austrian history, but also to bring in a cast of characters that would normally have been only peripheral to the usual story of history. The reader, thus, gets a sense of not only the political tenor of the times, but also an insight into the medical (through the description of a young Sigmund Freud), the literary (Theodor Herzl and Arthur Schnitzler), the musical (Johannes Brahams and Anton Bruckner), the artistry (Gustav Klimt), and the everyday (a street-player known as the King of Birds). History is not a novel, so these lives do not intertwine as they would in a fiction, but each does bring an expanded understanding of what Vienna was like.

The central "story" to the book is Crown Prince Rudolf and his frustration with being heir to the Austrian empire with nothing to do except ceremonial duties. Morton depicts Rudolf as a freethinker who might have changed the course of history had it not been for Emperor Franz Joseph's wonderful health. Instead, Rudolf, in the course of nine months, goes from being a revolutionary who must have his writing published under someone else's name to a drug-addled conspirator, who, with his nubile, fashion-setting mistress, decides to commit double-suicide. The tragedy is heir-apparent (pause for groans to subside), as Rudolf would have likely been much more palatable to the subjects of Sarajevo than Franz Ferdinand.

I must admit to being fairly ignorant of European history (okay, I was schooled in America--I'm pretty ignorant of history, per se), so when Morton drops the fact halfway through A Nervous Splendor that Rudolf commits suicide, I was surprised. But such is the difference between history and fiction. Morton expects the reader to already be aware of the high points in his narrative, and seeks to illustrate the base of those icebergs (this is also why I don't feel guilty for discussing the suicide myself). He succeeds, and I now am quite interested in his follow-up to this book, a volume called Thunder at Twilight which depicts Austria right before World War I.

With the use of a wide range of source materials, including newspapers, periodicals, memoirs, and unpublished diaries, Frederic Morton presents an intriguing account of a short, yet important, period in Vienna's history. Morton chooses July 1888 through April 1889 as a watershed period because these years marked the time when "the western dream started to go wrong." Morton paints the Austrian Empire of the late 1880s as backward (many still used gas lanterns) and stagnant, still obsessed with protocol, tradition, and keeping up appearances. The Habsburgs still hung on to their monarchy and modern classes like the industrialists had little to no access to the court. Morton looks at the elite of society in a number of areas like science (Freud), music (Brahams, Strauss, Buckner), and theatre (Herzl, Schnitzler). As another reviewer noted, it is a very "gossipy" history written with a novelists' flair. Through private diary entries, Morton is able to keep a running total of how many times Author Schnitzler (who inspired the Kubrik film Eyes Wide Shut) and his girlfriend "commit acts of love." The rise in prophylactic sales during carnival season is described as is the pursuit of the Crown Prince's affections by the girls of the fashion crowd.

What I found to be the most interesting is the chapters on the Crown Prince Rudolf-the liberal-minded heir to the Austrian throne. The progressive Crown Prince was stifled by the traditions of the court. He was forced to entertain guests he did not like (such as Kaiser Wilhelm II) and was only able to voice his ideas through unsigned articles in a newspaper. His choice of the Mayerling incident to solve his problems still seems odd for an intelligent, 30 year-old prince. His choice of taking Mary Vetsera with him seems more for convenience than for some love tragedy as she was willing to go along with his plan whereas his regular mistress laughed it off. Morton's account of the aftermath of Mayerling was very interesting (the rise in the stock market and the foreign gossip pages lent out by cab drivers). The real impact of Mayerling may not have had as much impact on history as one might expect, especially since Franz Joseph lived until the midpoint of World War I. Considering the years and the nation covered, the ending is very predictable (I guessed it before I started reading the book).

Morton finds the earliest cultural roots of twentieth century "angst" in early Fin-de-Siecle Vienna. He transects a single 9 month period which offers a cross sectional view of the nascent stems of an organism which will grow into liberalism & communism and which will leaf out as the artistic "revolutions" of german expressionim, atonal music (the "second" Vienesse school), the architectural theories of Loos and the Bauhaus, the theater of Beckett & Brecht, and the philosophy of Wittgenstein and Mach.

Morton focuses his analysis around the death by suicide pact of Kronprinz Rudolph, heir to the Hapsburg empire. The event is intrinsically intriging; Rudolph's suicide and it's aftermath cover an emotional landscape that ranges from the tragic to the bizarre and goulish.

Vignettes in the life of important cultural figures, including Freud, Herzl, Klimt, Brahms, Bruckner, Schnitzler and Mahler, dramatize the trend toward the dissolution of conservatism and the collapse of upper classs domination.

A NERVOUS SPLENDOR is entertaining, informative and well written. Morton's style of writting is sophisticated, elegant and, yet, in a sense that is hard to define, unusual and piquant.