Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Wall, Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
by Peter Sis
With his usual flair and attention to detail, illustrator Peter Sis deftly sketches the events, experiences and history of his youth in Prague.
Open Letters, Selected Writings: 1965 - 1990
by Vaclav Havel, Paul Wilson (Editor)
This inspired anthology of writings by the Czech poet-president Vaclav Havel collects 25 essays, letters and speeches written between 1965 and 1990, including those that directly influenced the Polish Solidarity movement.
Life with a Star
by Jiri Weil, Philip Roth (Introduction)
A fictional account of the Holocaust told through the story of a young Czech Jew.
Border Crossings: Coming of Age in the Czech Resistance
by Charles Novacek
Novacek recounts his life from his birth in Czechoslovakia in 1928 through his time fighting the Nazis and communists as a member of the Czech Resistance up to his immigration to the United States in 1956.
Eyewitness Guide Prague
by Eyewitness Guides
This superb guide features color photography, dozens of excellent maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the celebrated city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry.
Prague, A Traveler's Literary Companion
by Paul Wilson (Editor)
This anthology of 24 vivid stories by Czech writers, both contemporary and well-known, brings the city, history, spirit and people to life.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera
Kundera's intriguing novel, praised for its meditations on the nature of men and women, and on the fearful emptiness of life in Prague under Communist rule. We also carry Kundera’s collection of short stories The Book of Laughter and Forgetting.
Prague in Black and Gold, Scenes from Life in a European City
by Peter Demetz
Both a history and an accessible guide to the neighborhoods and architecture of the city.
Prague Map
by Berndtson & Berndtson
A laminated, detailed map of the center of Prague at a scale of 1:10,000.
Prague Tales
by Jan Neruda, Michael Heim (Translator), Ivan Klima (Introduction)
A collection of stories set in the Little Quarter of 19th-century Prague. Neruda has been referred to as the Charles Dickens of Czechoslovakia.
I Served the King of England
by Bohumil Hrabal
A rollicking trip through the history of 20th century Czechoslovakia, Hrabal's comic masterpiece follows the misadventures of a simple but hugely ambitious waiter in pre-World War II Prague, who rises to wealth only to lose everything with the onset of Communism,
Danubia, A Personal History of Habsburg Europe
by Simon Winder
Winder, author of Germania (GER270), considers the legacy of the Habsburg Europe in this charmingly digressive history and travelogue.
Danube
by Claudio Magris
Mixing history, personalities and literature, Magris traces the course of the Danube from its source in the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire through the Balkans to the Black Sea in this anything but conventional travelogue, first published in 1986.
The Magic Lantern, The Revolution of '89 Witnessed in Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin, and Prague
by Timothy Garton Ash
With a chapter each on Warsaw, Budapest, Berlin and Prague, this eyewitness account by an astute journalist and historian shows these vibrant cities during a time of great change.
Gottland, Mostly True Stories from Half of Czechoslovakia
by Mariusz Szczygiel
A cultural history told through a collection of stories about human survival during Czechoslovakia’s 80-year existence. Szcygiel focuses on artists, writers and performers who responded with craftiness when confronted with the absurdity and pressures of their eras.
The Good Soldier Svejk and His Fortunes in the World War
by Jaroslav Hasek, Cecil Parrott (Translator)
The deeply funny story of a hapless Czech soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army, dismissed for incompetence only to be pressed into service by the Russians in World War I, then captured by his own troops.
The Coasts of Bohemia, A Czech History
by Derek Sayer
A sensitively written and lively portrait of the highs and lows of Czech history over the past century with special attention to the fate of Prague in war and peace.
The Czech Reader, History, Culture, Politics
by Jan Bazant (Editor)
A fascinating survey of Czech history, culture and politics, part of the World Readers series, and composed of the writings and impressions of luminaries, leaders and ordinary Czechs. Among the highlights are Joan of Arc’s letter to the Hussites, the composer Antonin Dvorak’s letter from the New World and literary selections from Kafka, Kundera and Vaclav Havel.
Lonely Planet Czech Phrasebook
by Lonely Planet
A palm-sized guide to pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary.
A Traveller's Companion to Prague
by Jan Kaplan (Editor)
A portrait of the city, its neighborhoods, architecture, society and culture as seen through the eyes of writers over the centuries, including Petrarch, Hans Christian Anderson, Graham Greene and Patrick Leigh Fermor.
Conversations With Kafka
by Gustav Janouch
The young poet sketches his friend Kafka and his world in this revelatory brief portrait, now with an appreciative preface by Francine Prose.
Dvorak and His World
by Michael Beckerman
A fascinating view of the Czech composer's personal life and his influence on the world around him.
