Suggested Reading List
A Traveller's History of Croatia
Author: Benjamin Curtis
Description: Curtis untangles with alacrity the complex history of this nation at the crossroads of Europe.
Art of the Byzantine Era
Author: David Talbot Rice
Description: Wide-ranging and literate, this thoroughly illustrated introduction to Byzantine art is an indispensable classic.
Balkan Ghosts, A Journey through History
Author: Robert D. Kaplan
Description: Kaplan interweaves the history, art and culture of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece with his travels in this portrait of the region.
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia
Author: Rebecca West, Christopher Hitchens (Introduction)
Description: First published in 1941, this monumental work explores the complex history of Yugoslavia, its heroes, politics and culture. It's a big, challenging book -- some call it the best ever written on the Balkans.
Bradt Mini Guide Dubrovnik
Author: Piers Letcher
Description: A helpful, condensed guide to the city in the popular Bradt series.
Conversations With Stalin
Author: Milovan Djilas
Description: This is a scathing memoir by one of Tito's top aides, ousted from the Communist Party in 1954. It captures some of the absurdities of life in communist Yugoslavia.
Croatia Coast Map
Author: Freytag & Berndt
Description: A nicely shaded map covering the Dalmatian Coast from Porec to Dubrovnik at a scale of 1:200,000, perfect for the complex coastline.
Croatia, A History
Author: Ivo Goldstein, Nikolina Jovanovic (Translator)
Description: A concise, balanced history of Croatia, from medieval times to the present, by a professor at the University of Zagreb.
Croatia, A Nation Forged in War
Author: Marcus Tanner
Description: A modern history of Croatia from its medieval origins to Nazi occupation through to the present day by a British correspondent, who reported from the region during the events of 1993.
Croatia, Through Writers' Eyes
Author: Barnaby Rogerson (Editor)
Description: This collection of stories, tales and travel narratives illuminates the history and culture of Croatia. Including contributions by Rebecca West, Lawrence Durrell and Fitzroy MacLean.
Eyewitness Guide Croatia
Author: Eyewitness Guides
Description: Gorgeously illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book offers a thorough overview of Croatia's history, traditions, cultures and sights.
How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed
Author: Slavenka Drakulic
Description: These short essays capture the absurdity, struggle and day-to-day reality of being a woman in Yugoslavia under Communism. Drakulic is a Croatian journalist, novelist and contributing editor at The Nation.
Lonely Planet Croatian Phrasebook
Author: Lonely Planet Publications
Description: A palm-sized handy guide to pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler.
Montenegro, A Novel
Author: Starling Lawrence
Description: Steeped in atmosphere, this compelling tale of intrigue set in turn-of-the-century Montenegro evokes the tangled politics of the region -- Muslim, Turk and British. Lawrence follows the adventures of a reluctant British spy, Harwell Auberon, from the Adriatic to mountain villages, capturing the essence of the people and the land.
Palgrave Concise Historical Atlas of the Balkans
Author: Dennis Hupchick
Description: The changing borders and complex history of the Balkans, clearly and concisely shown through 50 double-page maps and accompanying essays, organized chronologically.
The Balkans in World History
Author: Andrew Wachtel
Description: A professor at Northwestern University, Wachtel focus on the traditions and contributions of overlapping cultures in this lively short history.
The Balkans, A Short History
Author: Mark Mazower
Description: A brief, provocative survey of the complex and often contentious history of the Balkans. With eloquence and insight, Mazower addresses the issues of geography, nationalism and modern nation-building in the region.
The Balkans: Nationalism, War, and the Great Powers, 1804-2011
Author: Misha Glenny
Description: Lontime central European correpsondant for the BBC based in Vienna, Glenny (The Fall of Yugoslavia) poignantly challenges the role of the Great Powers in the region in this survey, newly revised and updated to cover developments in the region through 2011.
The Bridge on the Drina
Author: Ivo Andric, Lovette F. Edwards (Translator)
Description: These linked stories by the Nobel-prize winning author capture the history and complexity of Christian and Muslim relations during Ottoman occupation. Hewn of stone, the bridge dividing the town of Visegrad was Andric's inspiration.
Venice, a Maritime Republic
Author: Frederic C. Lane
Description: Lane focuses on the history of trade, taking in not just on La Serenissima but also Dubrovink and the other cities of its once far-flung domain.
Yugoslavia, Death of a Nation
Author: Laura Silber, Allan Little
Description: Called "one of the finest volumes to come out of the war" by the New York Times, this book combines eyewitness reports, political commentary and documentary photographs to elucidate the origins and aftermath of the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Zagreb, A Cultural History
Author: Celia Hawkesworth
Description: An illuminating account of the tumultuous but vibrant history of Croatia's capital, with a strong focus on the art and architecture of the city.
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