Austria Books

I moved to Germany 2 months ago and came prepared with three travel guides: 1. Eyewitness Travel Germany; 2. Frommer's Germany's Best-Loved Driving Tours; 3. Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2006. Two months into our stay here we now almost exclusively use the Rick Steves' book..... It is fantastic! His opinionated travel advice always seems to be right on. I highly recommend this book or its upcoming update (2007) to any visiting or moving to Germany.

Was very disappointed with this book. Not only did it cover only the most touristy places, but it left out many more interesting, not as common, sites. The real tip off is that he lists places that "guarantee the price listed here if you show them your copy of this book" or offer a "10% discount" with this book. That isn't really objective reporting in my opinion.

Rick writes a very practical book with recommended walking tours in the cities or areas he really likes. This book has more detail on these two countries than is covered in his generic "Europe" book. The sites are ranked in three categories based on what he recommends as "must see" and down. Each town that he recommends as an overnight stop has a good list of accomodation with mostly hotels and usually one or two hostels also listed. The descriptions of the hotels bring the places to life. Highly recommend!

There is no denying it, this book has lots of useful tips and is easy to use but I did find the tone a bit patronizing at times. I really don't need someone to tell me what to think, even when in a foreign country. I also did not like the "show this book for x% discount" offers - I rather pay full price elsewhere and know the place is in the guidebook on its own merits.

The book covers only the most popular tourist destinations and is a bit lightweight to my taste on historical details. The author offers sensible advice by saying if you spend $3,000 on a vacation another $25 for additional guidebooks is money well spent.

I found the self-guided walking tours despite the not-to-scale maps very useful although I would follow the author's advice and rip the book apart and only carry the vital pages rather than be seen with this book in hand. Of the three guidebooks I used I liked this one the least.

I haven't see the TV show, but a friend loves the series and strongly recommended the book. Before our family trip for 10 days throughout Germany, I purchased a few different travel guides. After having each of them in hand before leaving home, we took 3 books with us. By the 3rd day, we only carried 2 books with us: Daytrips Germany, 6th Edition and then as a BACKUP, Rick Steves' Germany and Austria 2006. It was okay, but a bit too snarky for me. Using the 2 books together were great for finding tourist sites, great restaurants and hotels that could accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids (most hotels don't have rooms with 2 beds!).

This book is an attempt to situate Wittgenstein, particularly the Wittgenstein of the Tractatus, in the context of the larger modern 20th century Viennese cultural milieux. It emphasizes the importance of language and communication, or the lack thereof, in fin-de-siecle Viennese politics and society, and relates the interactions and mutual influences of Viennese cultural critics such as Karl Kraus upon the positive philosophy of Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle. It is not intended as an introduction to Wittenstein's thought and should not be read as such. This book is written for students of cultural and/or philosophical history who want a sense of the cultural origins of early modern positivism in philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY...PHILO-SOPHIA...THE LOVE OF TRUTH IS MOST DIFFICULT WHERE THOUGHT IS CONCERNED. BUT WAIT A MINUTE, DO WE NOT USE THOUGHT TO EXPRESS WHAT WE FEEL TO BE TRUE..PROVIDE A REASON FOR FEELING SUCH? AHHHH. THE PROBLEM..'WE' USE 'THOUGHT'. IS THE 'WE' DIFFERENT THAN 'THOUGHT'..IS THERE A LITTLE MAN/WOMAN SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAIN USING THIS TOOL CALLED THOUGHT? QUESTION THE PROCESS! I FEEL THAT WITTGENSTEIN FOUND LANGUAGE, THOUGHT TOO LIMITED TO COME UPON TRUTH. VIENNA WAS A HOTBED OF IDEATION WITHIN WHICH A PERSON SUCH AS A 'WITTGENSTEIN' COULD SEE WHERE THOUGHT WAS AND WAS NOT VALID. A WONDERFUL BOOK

This is a dazzlingly dense intellectual history of a time when there was an explosion of new ideas in both the arts and sciences. The place was Vienna, at the end of the Habsburg monarchy, where not only Sigmund Freud (psychlology) but also Loos (design), Schoenberg (music), Kochoscka (painting), and many others were establishing what we now call "modernism." It is also a philosophical tract of great depth, focusing on Wittgenstein. What is so remarkable is how commonplace their ideas and techniques have become in our everyday vocabulary - think "unconscious", but also "form follows function" - and how they all originated there, at the end of the 19C.

According to the authors, the starting point of the modernist movement is to be found in the deterioration of the Habsburg monarchy, spread as it was across a vast central european empire with dozens of languages and ethnic groups. To keep it all together in the face of rising nationalisms, the Habsburgs strove to maintain appearences of power and cohesion at all costs. This created a kind of living falsehood, in which issues were avoided by the use of code words and empty symbolic rituals.

Add to this the rise of new bourgeois fortunes, whereby a new middle classe arose based on industries. They too constructed their own private worlds within their homes, mimicing the Habsburgs and ignoring issues - in particular sexuality - to the point that it generated a latent hysteria in its women and anxiety in the working men, whose children despised them as fakes. Their houses were studded with overly ornate decorations, which were designed to ape the lifestyles of aristocrats, and they lived by elaborate codes of conduct and narrow career choices.

Obviously, this explains the biases in Freud's theories towards explaining too much by "suppressed impulses" buried in the unconscious (read hysterical women), but the authors argue that the great innovator of the age was Karl Krause, an independent satirist who called for honesty in language and the way one chose to live one's life. All of the others, they claim, were direct followers of Krause, from Klimt - he rebelled against the formalism of the royal academy of art with his Secessionist movement - to Wittgenstein and his study of language structure and meaning; even the great physicist Ernst Mach was apparently a follower of Krause, as was Canetti. They all knew eachother and were interested, and even participated, in eachothers' disciplines. This was a total surprise to me.

This is a fascinating intellectual tour (in the first 120 pages) that is evoked in dense prose that I had to read more than once to fully comprehend. I was particulary interested in their explanation of how Loos was attempting to strip away all ornament in an attempt to concentrate on the actual function of the buildings he designed as well as the household objects his followers created. This led directly to Bauhaus and all the other modernist schools of design, which exploited the new materials coming available, such as aluminum and tubular steel, to re-invent furniture, homes, and office spaces in ways that are still ripe for exploration today. I never understood the context in which this movement arose until I read this book.

The remaining 200 pages place Wittgenstein's philosphy in this context. To be honest, this interested me a lot less, but it is a must for students of modern philosophy. This is where the structure of language was explored, which led to the structuralists and to a degree the existentialists. It follows him to England, which comes in for heavy criticsm by the authors. In a way, this reads like a separate book.

Highly recommended. It is an intellectual adventure that is truly first rate.

As someone with a strong interest in modern philosophy as well as modern classical music, art and literature, I received more honest pleasure and enlightenment from reading this book than from any other book in recent memory. It is not per se a book about Wittgenstein, but rather an in-depth analysis of the milieu and mind-set of Vienna and its cultural elite circa 1900. Before immersing yourself into this delightful book, it might be a good idea to review the history of Austria-Hungary, how it came to be, the key events surrounding it, the emporer Franz Josef, and the territories which made up the dual monarchy. It also helps if you have some acquaintance with the German language, since German terms are used liberally throughout, often without denoting what those terms mean in English. Not being familiar with German, I found this mildly annoying, but certainly not enough to dampen my enthusiasm for this book.

Some of the most interesting sections of the book concern Viennese social philosophers and the artists whose works were a commentary on the corruption of the "gilded age": Otto Weininger, Kokoschka, Klimt, Schoenberg, Fritz Mauthner, and of course the unforgettable Karl Krauss. There is also a lengthy section on the scientific work of Mach and Hertz, the development of Hertz's "model" theory and its influence on Wittgenstein's Tractatus, as well as a beautifully written synopsis of Schopenhaur's philosophy.

And this is only the barest overview of a stupendously rich and rewarding book, one which all thoughtful people should and must read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

okay i've been trained both in sociology and philosophy and would say the book brings the poorest of both worlds.. never believed in intellectual history in general, but this kind of book, with its judgements about Kierkeggardian or Wittgensteinian 'individualism' as a 'natural pathology' of early twentieth century continental bourgeoise society, does nothing but buttress the self-complacency of our now liberal societies. Therefore despite some 'interesting' anectodes and impressions from Habsburg Vienna, the philosophical depth of the book doesnt go above our usual journalistic wisdom. I dont understand how other reviewers found this book brilliant or anything like that. I think recommendable as passtime only.

I enjoyed the book. It was well written and obviously well researched.
I like the way it had info from personal writtings from the time, also.

I enjoyed the gallery of pictures included in the text, as well.

I will probably read the book at least one more time.

to me she should never married franz joseph i,she was to much of a free spirit.austria court was to old fashion for a soul like hers.she had the mother -in law from hell didn't help.

I was dreading that this book would be like all other's in that it would portray Elizabeth as a poor little spoiled, mis-understood rich girl. It didn't and I found that very refreshing.
My only critism of this book is that there is only one occasion when the author translated the french, german, russian, etc. quotes that were used and I found that mildly annoying as I don't speak or read any of those languages.
Overall a very good book!

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I was somewhat reluctant to first start reading The Lonely Empress because, from the some of the biographies I've read (but certainly not all!), they tend to start out interesting but then become dull and boring. It usually takes a talented author to write a biography on a boring royal. But even an unskilled author would have no trouble about sounding fascinating if their subject matter was Elisabeth of Austria.

Born a mere daughter of a duke in Bavaria, Elisabeth had a fairytale (ish) romance. The emperor of Austria, Francis Joseph, was already engaged to Elisabeth's sister Helen when he fell in love with her. All of a sudden, to everyone's surprise, the Emperor started to rant about the grace and beauty of this younger sister, much to the dismay of his mother, the archduchess Sophie, who thought that Helen would become the perfect empress.

Elisabeth was still a child when she became engaged to the Emperor. Suddenly, she wasn't allowed to run wild, like she had been when she was younger. Elisabeth had been known to skip her lessons and go out riding for hours. She inherited her father's peculiarity and was known to be her happiest when surrounded by less than royal people. Her father, Duke Max, was renowned for his strangeness. He was known to travel the Bavarian countryside to escape his duties and delighted in circuses. The poor Duchess Ludovica, Elisabeth's mother, must have had a terrible time with her daughter and equally childish husband. Because of her strangeness and wild country ways, the Viennese court look down upon Elisabeth.

What makes this book more interesting is how the author has portrayed Elisabeth. She doesn't try to make her into a selfish, spoiled woman yet she doesn't spend the whole book describing her flawless beauty. Elisabeth seems to be a difficult topic to write about. As many people who have met the Empress say about her throughout the book, "She could be quite charming when she wanted to be. Yet she could also become cold and haughty."

Elisabeth has you admiring her at times, like when she tries to help the Hungarian people regain their Constitution, and at other times hating her, the way she treated her husband and children, the woman whose husband spent fortunes building her three homes around Europe and who still wasn't grateful or satisfied. This woman traveled to countries far away so she could escape her duties as an Empress and her husband.

But one feels for Elisabeth at how much misfortune she had dealt with in her life. She seems to be a caged bird, she seems to have those natures that cannot be trapped or caged. She needed wide spaces so she can spread her wings. The author portrayed Elisabeth excellently and made the book an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book, there was only a minor matter which rather annoyed me. I wonder why nobody seems to have taken the trouble of checking the proper spelling of all those European names?
As a native speaker of both German and Hungarian, I was quite
distracted by reading Gödollo instead of Gödöllõ, to name just one of many blunders.
Crenneville sometimes becomes Grenneville, Marie Vetsera turns into a Mary, Maria Theresia is always Maria Theresa, robbed of an i, the Ballhausplatz is shortened into Ballplatz, and while Hapsburg is not exactly wrong, it was apparently never used officially - and you don't often come across it even in Austria.
Perhaps in future editions someone might provide corrections? I think the book is worth it.

This book has absolutely beautiful designs. The only issue I have with it is that the patterns are coloured, and it makes it difficult to see the colour codes. You can follow the patterns, but you have to look really carefully to make sure you have the correct colour code. None-the-less, I am half way through my first one which looks amazing.

Just what I was looking for. I particularly liked the the design snippets at the back and there were plenty of them.

it was a wonderful book, i loved the easy to read charts and directions. I'm an avid stitcher, and the book is worth the money.

I received this book as a birthday gift at the same time I received Carol Phillipson's "Celtic Cross Stitch Designs." It says "over 75 beautiful designs" on the cover; online purchasers should be aware, however, that only approximately 25 of the designs are individual project designs -- a few relatively large and complex (including two different pillow tops, a tablecloth design, a firescreen, and a picture of two Celtic peacocks) and then several more fairly small and quick coordinating projects (such as a 4x4 inch scissors keeper pillow, a key ring design, and a couple of bookmarks). The major themes/designs are as follows:
*a set of small but lovely knotwork-design stitchery items (shown on the cover of the book)
*a purse-purse mirror-keyring-glasses case set done in scrollwork and swirls in muted colors "to reflect the colours and textures of rocky landscape"
*a picture of a pair of peacocks adapted from the Book of Kells and stitched in very vibrant colors
*a notebook cover, paperweight, bowl lid, and card in celtic key patterns (worked in just one color on a black background) plus two bookmarks (two colors each)
*a picture of golden dragons with knotwork around them stitched on a black background, also
*four variations on small, round intertwined serpent designs worked in pastel colors
*a Durrow circle firescreen in red, gold, and green, with a large central disc and then two angular knotwork bands at the top and the bottom
*two throw pillows (one birds, one hounds) worked in pastels similar to those used in the snake designs
*a cat-with-interlaced-birds bell-pull done in muted but not quite pastel colors
*and finally, an extremely elegant-looking tablecloth and napkin set using La Tene-style designs in shades of gray-blue.

The other 50 designs are a "Celtic Motif Library" of borders, small knots, small animals, and so forth which could be used for a variety of purposes.

I think that Phillipson's book is likely to result in a greater number of projects for my own stitchery, primarily because it included a larger number of distinct project designs, but I still definitely like this one very much and I'm happy to own both. There are a number of very beautiful projects, most of the major designs would be easily adaptable to projects other than those shown in the book, and the motif library is likely to prove useful, as well, since I do a fair bit of improvising my own designs. For novice stitchers who primarily want to work projects precisely as they are printed in books, the Phillipson book might make a better first choice, but this one would be excellent for anyone who has a specific interest in any of the major designs included in it (all of which are quite nice) or who enjoys futzing around with design elements, as I do.

This book provides a number of designs suitable for borders or for incorporating into larger pieces. It also includes some historical information about the various designs that I found interesting.

This book contains designs for someone new to the joys of counted work as well as for those more experienced stitchers looking for inspiration. Many of the knotwork designs lend themselves to being incorporated into small gifts such as bookmarks as well as to experimentation with different threads and fabrics.

I'd strongly suggest that anyone working a design from this book work from a photocopy of the relevant page: it will be easier to carry around.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Planning a brief trip to a country as varied and historic as Germany is demanding, but this book has been my best resource. As in all of his books, Steves states his approach to travel clearly: he doesn't cover everything, just the "best" places, the best according to him, of course. My tastes and orientation align with his (interesting, moderately priced travel, including as much local immersion as is reasonable), so I rely on his books to provide the wonderful backbones of great trips. For visiting places other than his "best" I use a more comprehensive guide book, like Lonely Planet, in addition to (rather than instead of) his.

For myself, a traveler with only a few days passing through Germany (on this trip), Steves' approach works well. His recommendations about transportation choices, especially the vast array of train tickets, are especially helpful. I imagine that I will want more detailed descriptions of major buildings and museums once I am on the spot, but his room-by-room descriptions are excellent for determining whether a particular site should be on my itinerary.

-Lynn Michelsohn, author of Roswell, Your Travel Guide to the UFO Capital of the World!

We used this guidebook for a week-long driving trip through Baden-Wurttemburg and Bayern (Bavaria). The recommended hotels were fabulous, and the descriptions of tourist stops were accurate. Had it not been for this book we would have missed some of the best stops on our trip. Use this book and get out of the cities! You'll discover the REAL Germany.

Having traveled through Germany and Austria with Rick Steves a couple of years ago, I was happy to purchase this book for a friend who is going this year. Rick's books cut through the crap and let the reader know which sights are worth seeing--and also how to get away from the tourist traps and into the authentic heart of a country. I wouldn't dream of going to Europe without Rick!

Wonderful detailed info. Interesting off the beaten track stuff but sometimes you want to see the usual tourist stuff too.
But we no longer stay at the hotels listed because we found one a bit too cheap and a firetrap in waiting.

This book is typical Rick Steves. He has preordained that only certain places are worth visiting and has therefore excluded all others. It is true that his coverage of the Rhine and Mosel valleys is the best of any English-language guide book, but his omissions are many. He completely avoids any mention of the many castles and palaces in Bavaria, save the overly popular Neuschwanstein and a handful of others. Gems like Eisenach's Wartburg Castle, Coburg's Schloss Ehrenburg, Gotha's Schloss Friedenstein, and Kempten's Residenz are given a miss. Could it be that his guide books only cover the places his tours visit for obvious personal financial reasons? If you are a Rick Steves groupie, then feel free to buy his books. But if you want to see the best of Germany, read Eyewitness Travel Guides, Lonely Planet, or Rough Guides, and decide for yourself.

Rather looks like a turn paper of a quite average-college standard.
Also, the reference index is really not revealing.

So, why?

A bit more detail than I was looking for. Not that it was a scholarly monograph, just more layered and complex than "popular" history.

This is a meticulously researched and documented history of a distant event with contemporary repercussions. However, it is remarkable how indifferently the question of illustrations and maps was dealt with. I don't understand why someone would produce such a wonderful and detailed account and then accompany it with maps and illustrations that are virtually meaningless. The maps are either insufficiently detailed to permit following the documentation in the text, or the illustrations (themselves of some interest because of their contemporaneousness) so indistinct as to render references to them useless. There should be a match between the illustrations and the text--either reduce the textual detail to match the illustrations, or (far better) include illustrations that support the text.

If you're a generalist, or looking for a book that will help you to appreciate what the defenders of Vienna felt, thought, or endured, this book is not for you. Though undeniably informative, the great bulk of this work is devoted to extremely detailed descriptions of the dozens of political negotiations and troop conscriptions carried on by Hapsburg envoys and the political chess game between the Empire's foes and its myriad lukewarm allies. This is a valuable source for further research, and a great neutral description of the political climate and negotiations that led to Vienna's redemption, but of the siege itself, it will provide you with little insight as to what it was like to be in Vienna in 1683, and will not impart any of the stories, legends, or heroic deeds of the City's defenders - to which the author occasionally and tantalizingly alludes.

Not many people today realize that militant Islam reached as far West as Vienna in its attempt to conquor Europe. After reading this meticulously researched and coherently presented book, the reader will come to realize what a close call Western civilization had before the gates of Vienna in 1683. France, the largest country and most militant power in the West, refused to help the Emperor because it suited its own political ends, even at the cost of the eastern part of Europe being lost to the Moslems. The saviors were a motley group of small German principalities and the Kingdom of Poland, led by its ruler Jan Sobieski. Were it not for these groups, and particularly the Poles, our history might have been completely different now. What thanks did the Empire give to Poland? As a later Austrian diplomat said in another connection: "Our ingratitude will astonish the world." Merely a century later, Austria took part in the dismembering of Poland, and wiping that heroic kingdom from the map of Europe for well over a century. If Sobieski had still been alive, he would have wished that he and his army had stayed home in 1683!

The account of a Jewish familys' descent in Vienna through the Nazi hell to the foreign shores of Shanghai is interesting from an historical perspective. The writing is amateurish with the point of view jumping around and the verb tenses as well. It could have used a good editor.

The story of the blind hatred and inhumanity whipped up by the Nazis needs to be told - and told often. But it deserves a more nuanced telling than this single-dimensional presentation. This account is all bright colors (first quarter) and darkness (remainder), with little in between.
What is particularly striking is that the narrator makes no effort to relate to the suffering of Shanghai's indigenous Chinese population. Her flat and parenthetical references to the pervasive poverty, disease and oppression reveal little or no interest in the historical or social context that created such dreadful conditions, not to mention any empathy with the people so afflicted. Its detachment is disturbing. Could it be that one's humanity is so degraded by abuse that one cannot see beyond one's own suffering? Perhaps, but without any attempt at explanation it comes across as heartless indifference.
As a tribute by a daughter to a mother and a family who endured hideous persecution the book is a worthy effort. But in providing any real insights it falls sadly short.

This story about the experiences of a Viennese Jewish family in Shanghai perfectly fulfills two raison d'etre of books - on the one hand it allows the reader to enter a time-warp machine and be transplanted to another time and another place and vicariously live through the emotional upheavals, the smells, sights, sounds and most importantly the feelings of fear, frustration, Angst and yes, fortunately also joy, of the main characters. Vivian Kaplan is a master of setting the scene and allowing the reader to slip into the protagonist's skin. I have lived and worked in Vienna and also in Northern China (albeit at a much later time) and Vivian's writing rings true. The chapters in the book are like 3-D images conjured up for the reader (and would make a very gripping screenplay). The other raison d'etre of books is to preserve and hand down important happenings and narrate them in a gripping and thought-provoking manner. The manner in which the Jews in Austria and elsewhere were treated by an Austrian madman who managed to come to power in Germany should never be forgotten. More importantly, we all need to be vigilant that such events happen less and less frequently in the history of humankind. Although familiar with the story of displaced Jews from German-speaking countries as I (like the author) am offspring, I was unable to put down the book. What Nini Karpel's mother had to experience in one short lifetime is more than most people should have to live through. The book also helped me understand the initial inertia of many Jews in Vienna to the anti-Semitic flare-up in the 1920s and 30s. "Oh, we've seen this many times, let's just lie low and wait for it to blow over". Writing in the present tense made the story more immediate. However, despite the fact that the book had its share of gruesome scenes, overall the manner in which Nini viewed the world seemed overly rosy-colored and syrupy sweet. The naive tone that permeates the book distracts from the serious situation in which these refugees find themselves. Even a five-year old would know better than to state 'we are awed by the changes in the baby within his first year. Every day he seems to learn some new word...' p.5. Should the book get reprinted, I suggest a German-speaking editor correct some of the German words. The great Ferris wheel in Vienna is no 'Reisenrad' p.77 and the 'Fuhrer' should be spelled 'Fuehrer'. But overall we are better off for having another story capture the senseless suffering human beings will inflict upon one another.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Ten Green Bottles". Unlike other books on Shanghai of that period, I particularly relished the intimate glimpse of the extreme wealth and decadence that was ongoing alongside the abject poverty of the immigrants that fled Europe. Much is written here of how people of many nations with unimaginable wealth made Shanghai their "sumptuous playground" between the stench and filth of the city.

In particular, the author's description of the Bolero Club through the eyes of Nini, who worked as a hostess there, was so exciting and so descriptive and so alive that I was sure I was in the room with some of the most powerful men and glamorous women of the time. Her detailed description of the opium den next door, a "grand salon" established exclusively for the very rich, is breathtaking.

This book is a must read for anyone who wants to live the Shanghai of World War II from its lows to its highs.

Ten Green Bottles is one of the most powerful, emotional, fascinating and beautifully written books I have ever read. Where has this author been?

The story begins in the early 1920s in Vienna where a five year old Jewish girl, called Nini, begins to experience what it is to be the youngest of three sisters. It is written in Nini's voice and throughout the book you seem to live every moment of her life as if you were in her skin. You laugh, cry, feel and experience everything that happens to her as if it were happening to you, yet the book is non-fiction.

The story tells of her life in a growing family and the hardships of her mother in raising her children and carrying on their business after her father's death. As Nini grows into her teenage years, your senses are filled with the excitement of Vienna and the thrill of skiing in the mountains nearby. Then the Nazis come and everything changes.

As Jews are now considered vermin, they must flee the city or they will surely die. With the help of a gentile lawyer they are able to leave Vienna for Shanghai. On arriving in this no-man's land with almost no money, they find themselves in the middle of another war between China and Japan. Living in squalor and trying to survive, their life is made even more miserable. Japan, an ally of Germany, forces them and about 20,000 other Jews into a small ghetto with over 100,000 of the poorest Chinese. The story tells of their life and the life of the Jewish community as they try to make it through to the end of the war under the most deplorable conditions imaginable. They are eventually liberated by the Americans and stay until the Communist takeover in the late 1940s when they leave. The story ends with their exceptionally well written arrival in the white winter of Canada where they do not have to fear anymore.

I read a lot and to me this book was a literary masterpiece. I also learned about a very interesting part of the Holocaust that I had not known.

This is one of the best books on the subject period available. Histories of Austria prior to the rise of Napoleon are rare, and while AJP Taylor's work is probably better written, it does not cover the period prior to 1809. The Habsburg Monarchy is well organized, contains an even-handed approach to Austrian history (it neither condemns the Monarchy as doomed to dissolution nor praises it as an early experiment in multi-ethnic nation building) and contains enough information on the individual emperors and empresses to bring them to life.

My only complaint is that ebb and flow of the major conflicts of this period (the Thirty Years War, the War of Spanish Succession, the War of Austrian Succession, and the Seven Years War) is given only brief attention and leaves the reader wanting to know more.

I don't normally write book reviews but the subject matter of the most recent review (see below) has provoked me into a response. The Congress of Vienna in which the shape of post Napoleonic Europe was determined was from September 1814 to June 1815. It is important to understand that the congress was organized to "settle" things after Napoleon went into exile on Elba in 1814, and that it continued through the Hundred Days that ended at Waterloo. The egregious error cited below is not an error at all.

This is a great book that covers in good detail the rise of Austria under the rule of the Habsburg monarchy from the 30 Years War to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Charles Ingrao gives great insight into the minds and personalities of all the Habsburg monarchs, including some of the less known ones like Ferdinand II and Joseph II. He explains how the nation had to develop from three kingdoms with one king to one nation under an emperor. Also covered is the role of the Habsburgs as Holy Roman Emperors and their dominance in Germany until the rise of Prussia in the mid 18th Century when Austria was forced to look east for power.
A more long lasting issue covered, that even has effects to the present day, is the issue of nationality and ethnicity within the empire. This is the issue that arguably brought the end to the multinational empire and has caused so many wars in the Balkans in the past two decades.
My only real complaint is that at times Ingrao can get a bit bogged down in the details, and it can be a little hard to follow. Also, it should be stated that the book is inevitably biased a bit toward Austria and therefore is slightly anti-Prussia and French at times.
Overall though, if you want a good overview on the development of the early Austrian monarchy this is a great choice.

Habsburg history between Charles V and Metternich is almost a dead zone for Anglophone readers. The Thirty Years Wars sparks a bit of interest, as does Rudolphine Prague. But unless I am mistaken, there is no biography available in English of any of the Emperors from Ferdinand II until Maria Theresia. And even she hasn't received a serious study in English since Edward Crankshaw's in the 1960's. Louis XIV continues to receive regular biographies and specialist studies. Yet Leopold I, his great rival, who reigned for nearly 50 years (1658-1705), is almost completely ignored.

Ingrao's book covers a lot of material in a fairly short space and is necessarily cursory in many respects. I also thought he was much more interested in the 18th century than the 17th. He clearly admires Maria Theresia, though is not blind to her faults, and treats Joseph II more kindly than he perhaps deserves. (Joseph seems to have been the perfect illustration of the dangers of what Michael Oakeshott famously called Rationalism in Politics).

Ingrao's treatment of the cultural contributions of the Habsburg Empire, its greatest legacy, is patchy. There is no mention of the great Austro-Bohemian composers of the 17th century - Biber, Schmelzer etc, nor of Fux in the 18th.

Still, as an up-to-date well-written survey of a complex and fascinating subject, Ingrao's book is very welcome.

Now all you post-doctoral history students, stop mucking about and start writing some detailed studies of the topics Ingrao could merely touch on.

I don't normally write book reviews but the subject matter of the most recent review (see below) has provoked me into a response. The Congress of Vienna in which the shape of post Napoleonic Europe was determined was from September 1814 to June 1815. It is important to understand that the congress was organized to "settle" things after Napoleon went into exile on Elba in 1814. It continued through the Hundred Days that ended at Waterloo. The egregious error cited below is not an error at all.

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 summary of the nineteenth century Habsburg empire is poorly organized, repetitious, glib and judgemental. The basic weaknesses of the Empire are identified, as is its place in the 19th century balance of power. But the work lacks a satisfactory narrative of events and assumes too much prior knowledge of the reader. This work may offer useful insights and interpretation to the expert, but is painful for the rest of us.

You don't want to miss Lagavulin, but you don't want it to be all you drink, either.

Edward Crankshaw's book on "The Fall of the House of Habsburg," while ostensibly starting in 1848, is a good suggestion for the "first" book called for by so many reviews. Crankshaw, an intelligent old-school conservative, appears to have written his book in part as a retort to Taylor (judging by his comments in the text). Very readable, though without Taylor's wit.

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.

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.

I've become fascinated with Sigmund Freud, so I thought this book would be a good read. It furthered my fascination with one of the greatest psychoanalysts of our time.

I had cared little about Sigmund Freud, and even less about reading a thick book about him, but I was captivated by the title. Stone has great titles and I have read Lust of Life, and found it rather interesting. When I read Passions of the Mind, it took a while. This was years ago, but I have not forgotten how much I enjoyed it. When I finished it, it was with some sadness that I folded it pages together, and laid it down to rest. It was used when I got it. It is beat up and weary, but I loved it, and have a much different feeling, not only about Freud, but also about the students of medicine and the times about which it was written. These were real people, and I like real people. I would put this book much higher on an approval list than The Agony and the Ecstacy, which I never quite finished. Maurice Thorne

After reading Jung's Memoirs, Dream, and Reflections, I dismissed Freud. Passions has opened up a whole new understanding and respect for Freudian psychoanalysis. I appreciate the insight and plan on delving deeper. Once again, there's always two sides to every story.

This is "the agony and the ecstasy" of psychiatry - a completely absorbing drama of the life of Sigmund Freud.

To pen a picture of one of the most complex persons in history and yet not lose the reader's interest is an art that Irving Stone has demonstrated time and again. This book is not an exception. Ideally suited for those who do not want to get lost in psychological mumbo jumbo and yet want to see the fascinating mind that caused a convulsion in the world of psychology...that's passions of the mind. A must for any Irving Stone fan, and yet a lot more enjoyable than many other tomes on this subject.