Budapest today bustles, driven by efforts to integrate the formely communist country into Nato and the European Union. The beautiful buildings, bridges and sites dating back to the Austo-Hungarian Empire of the 1800's surprise many tourists from the West. But without knowing the history of this city the tourist has only a fraction of the enjoyment. Jewish Budapest chronicals the long history of Jews in this part of Hungary, working their way from a marginal existance literally on the edge of town to an integral part of Budapest. From this community came Theodore Hertzel, a founder of the Zionist Movement to create a Jewish state in Israel. One of the leading Rabbi's of early Reform Judaism in America served as Rabbi at a Temple in Budapest before emigrating to the freedom of the United States. Although not emancipated until about the 1870's, Budapest's Jewish community achieved remarkable progress in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in this ethnically diverse city. Before World War II, Jews comprised around 25% of the Budapest population including leading industrialists, entertainers, businessmen, doctors, scholars, and civic leaders. Now there are only about 70,000 Jews left. The majestic Dohaney Street Temple, built to the dimensions of the Temple in Jerusalem, stands today as the largest temple in Europe, seating some 3,200 worshipers in a beautifuly restored sanctuary. Jewish Budapest tells about the Jewish community that built this and a number of other temples and synagoges. Architectual information is given about office buildings, schools, apartment building and more that still line Budapest streets. The author goes behind the brick and mortar to tell about the daily lives of the people who lived in the community and how they changed over the centuries. The author includes includes an account of the catastrophe that befell the Jewish community at the hands of various fascist groups during World War II and the heroic efforts of Christians like Raul Wallenberg that saved many thousand men, women and children from the Nazis. Jewish Budapest also describes much about Judaism as practiced in Europe, not just ritual, but also daily lives of the Jews and personalties and conflicts during the centuries within the community and with their neigbors. The religious information is basic enough so that it can be understood by people with little or no knowledge of Judaism and yet interesting for those well familiar with Jewish ritual and customs. I especially recommend this book to people going to Budapest, people who have visited the city, people with ties to Hungary and history buffs.

McCagg's work is the classic historical analysis of the unusual situation of Hungarian Jews in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Although he overstates the connection between "nobility" and "genius," he highlights important issues about the status of Jews in Hungary during this period.

Unlike some other recent Osprey Campaign series titles, Kolin 1757 follows the standard Osprey format faithfully and even attempts some analysis of why the battle turned out as it did. The Battle of Kolin was Frederick the Great's first defeat but it has not been covered well in recent historical writing and thus, this volume is something of a godsend to Prussian enthusiasts.

The book begins with a short section on the road to war and chronology of the campaign, then moves rapidly into sections on opposing commanders, opposing armies and a detailed order of battle. The section on commanders is quite good, and also discusses command and control in 18th Century warfare. The Spring 1757 Campaign and Battle of Prague in May 1757 are covered in eight pages. Unfortunately, the lack of a map for the Battle of Prague is a serious omission, since Frederick attempted similar maneuvers that should be compared at both Prague and Kolin. Frederick's invasion of Bohemia in the Spring of 1757 also demonstrated his tendency to disperse his army in unsupporting columns, lacking centralized coordination and a weighted main effort. The Spring Campaign also demonstrated the Austrian preference for unimaginative cordon defense tactics. While Frederick won the Battle of Prague, it was a costly victory due to the lack of effective Prussian terrain reconnaissance.

The Battle of Kolin itself, which resulted from an Austrian counteroffensive to relieve the besieged city of Prague, is well covered in forty pages of text. There are three 3-D "Bird's Eye View" maps which depict the battle in phases covering 1600-1730 hours, 1730-1830 hours and 1900-2100 hours. Also included are five 2-D maps which depict the approach march to battle, the initial dispositions and the retreat into Saxony. Three excellent battle scenes depict Field Marshal Daun atop Przerovsky Hill, the repulse of the Prussian Norman dragoons by IR Botta and Frederick leaving the field. Overall, the battle narrative is clear and well-supported by maps and illustrations, although the tangled nature of the charges and counter-charges atop Krzeczor Hill are difficult to follow. One minor criticism is that the author's reference to the "smell of cordite" over the battlefield is erroneous since cordite was not yet invented.

A welcome but unusual section in the aftermath of the battle attempts to analyze the action using the principles of war. Unfortunately, the author does not seem to fully grasp what the principle of war consist of, since he includes morale and flexibility - which are not principles - but excludes maneuver and unity of command. The author properly points out that the principle of objective was compromised by poor Prussian reconnaissance. The principles of surprise and security were also squandered, which contributed greatly to defeat. While the author properly pounds Frederick for lacking mass and wasting resources on secondary objectives, the criticisms only partly explain that the Prussians were attempting to attack at roughly 1:2 odds, instead of the recommended 3:1. Overall, Frederick attempted to use maneuver and the offensive by means of a turning movement to place his enemies in a position of peril, which in itself was a good idea. However, Frederick's turning movement was very clumsy and like his later famous "oblique order," represented little more than a cleverly executed frontal attack. Tactically, Frederick relied on the brawn of his infantry and cavalry to bash their way through a weak point in the enemy cordon, but Frederick was not very adept at finding those weak points. Poor reconnaissance and the lack of effective combined arms tactics that made integrated use of artillery, cavalry and infantry were the weak points of Frederick's method of warfare.

While the author addresses Frederick throughout the text, the portrait that emerges of Frederick in this campaign is far from "great." In particular, Frederick's contempt for the enemy severely degraded the quality of his operational planning; the author notes, "Frederick anticipated the Austrians accommodating his plan by doing nothing to interfere with the movement of his army." Frederick also had an unfortunate tendency to leave his army when things were going badly, which he did at Mollwitz, Lobositz and Kolin. Instead of rallying his defeated troops, Frederick hastened to the rear to sulk. Contrast Frederick's departure with Robert E. Lee's meeting the returning survivors of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg in 1863 and the disparity of styles in defeat are striking. When the Austrians pursued the defeated Prussians, Frederick turned over command to his brother while Frederick took to bed to mourn the death of his mother (apparently the death of thousands of his troops bothered him less). Yet when Frederick's brother was bested by the Austrians in a minor action, Frederick humiliatingly removed him from command. If anything is taught by the campaign of Kolin, it is that "greatness" is battlefield command is determined by exemplary leadership qualities, not the execution of fancy tactical maneuvers.

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 think this story is very nice. The language is very simple.It would make a good bedtime story. I liked most of theillustrations, although some of them I thought could have used a little more detail. I was hoping the story would be more up to date with stronger female roles, but it was a good story.

This book goes way beyond a simple list of Hungarian names. The author has provided us with photos and descriptions of dogs originating in Hungary as well as a brief history of the region. The suggested names include their english definitions and aids to pronunciation as well as background into the structure of the language. This is a scholarly work, well researched and yet easy to read. Dog fanciers seeking authentic names for their Hungarian breeds will find it a delight. For owners of dogs of Russian origin, I would also recommend a similar book by this author titled, "Russian Names for Russian Dogs".

"Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community" is considered a classic in the fields of political science and sociology. The authors use multiple methods of data collection to examine an unemployed town in Austria in the 1930s. The effects of unemployment are examined and recounted. This book reads quickly and easily.

In this fascinating first novel by Andrea Cheng, Marika is the story of a young Jewish girl growing up in Hungary during World War II. This enlightening tale depicts her life from age 6 to age 17. Marika, as family and friends call her, believes that she will not be faced with the war at any point in her life. When she is young, she is spoiled, ignorant, and self-centered because she is used to the pampered life that her wealthy parents provide for her. Her biggest concerns at this time are the separations of her parents, and reading and writing, which she has quite a talent for. However as she grows older, Marika begins to realize that the war is intruding more on her life than she had ever thought possible. For the first time ever, she is confronted with racism, prejudice, and segregation, and as the Nazis begin to take over her country, the problems only become worse. Marika must learn to break away from her naivety in order to grow and mature to save herself from the harrowing consequences that the war presents.
This is a story that every young person can relate to because the characters are portrayed very realistically with traits that separate them from one another. This tale offers great insight into the culture and everyday life of a wealthy Hungarian family during World War II; however, it deals more with their lifestyle than what is going on with the rest of the world or the country. The characters and language are simplistic yet eloquent, which is perfect for children around middle school age. It explains the Holocaust in a very concise manner which is also conducive to young readers. And although I felt that the climax of the story came a bit too late, I felt that it was considerably worth the wait. At times in the story, especially the end, I wished that the author had concentrated on describing the scenery more vividly so that I could picture the story as it was happening, but this was only a minor flaw and did not deter me much from the main gist of the story.
Overall, I believe that this was a decent novel and I would recommend it because it was interesting and kept me immersed in it the whole way through. It dealt with real historical issues and they were clearly presented so that younger children could understand them with ease. It also dealt with a transformation and maturation of the heroine which I thought added infinite richness to the novel.

Most working definitions of nationalism incorporate, in one way or another, the view that national identity is somehow connected to territory. But in most studies on the topic of nationalism, the whole issue of territory receives little more than this perfunctory mention. White's recent study tackles the issue of territory in national identity head on. As a geographer, he offers some unique perspectives on this often overlooked aspect of nationalism. This is quite important, since at their base, almost all nationalisms are somehow grounded on a specific physical place or places and the desire of a certain group of people to control this space in some manner. White quite plausibly argues that territoriality, i.e. the protective or possessive attitude people exhibit toward places, is probably the most vital component of nationalism, even though this is an aspect that is most oft-neglected by scholars, journalists, policy-makers, etc. when dealing with specific cases of nationalism. The author's specific emphasis is on southeastern Europe, with case studies covering Hungary, Romania and Serbia. This is a good choice, since all three of these countries and their nations provide a wealth of historical examples and all three are still "hot" areas in political terms. In addition, the fact that the territorial claims of these three nations often overlap provides an excellent illustration of White's central point on the importance of places in defining identity and the potential violence which can erupt when territorial claims clash. White brings to this argument a large number of geographical and sociological sources not usually used when discussing nationalism. However, the book does have its weaknesses. The principal shortcoming is that much of the text seems to have been hastily written in the three case studies, and much of its seems formulaic (indeed, in a few places entire paragraphs are repeated almost verbatim from chapter to chapter). Also, the overall argument put forward by the author would have been better served if he included a comparison and contrast of his case study nations and also discussed how their mutual conflicts over the same territory influenced their respective national development. Nonetheless, this book represents an important recent contribution to the literature on nationalism.

This book was a great read, especially for an Aussie, and provided a great look at 50's Australia. This book is autobiographical, and Hugh Lunn really know how to let us into his head, and he definitely isn't afraid to pull any punches. It is amazing to see how far we have come. With plenty of historical info, as well as a few good laughs, I recommend this book.