Historical Atlas of Central Europe (History of East Central Europe)

Rating:
Summary: probably the best there is
Review: I've never had an historical atlas with such minute detail about ethnic classification, and religious affiliations on the maps. Nor one that showed that information for such a long span of history.
The maps are beautiful! The color distinctions for the categories are clear and easy to discern. I like to get all historical atlases, good or mediocre. Usually every atlas will have some unique characteristic that makes having it desirable.
I'd like detailed atlases like this one for every country. The author must have perused tons of documents and records to get such specific detail.
This may be the best historical atlas in print. I wish the author would do one for all of Europe, Asia and North America.

Rating:
Summary: A good reference, but only a reference
Review: This book does what it should do. It provides easily read maps of the area between Berlin and Ismir showing the political situation in the region from the Roman era to the contemporary one. However, this is not one of those atlases that can really be read like a book. There is a lot of text, but it mostly is of the "Prussia acquired Silesia from Austria in 1742" variety. The book deals almost entirely with territorial matters, not with social ones. For example, there are maps for each country in the region showing boundary changes since World War I. However, there is nothing about the rise of authoritarianism in Central Europe in the interwar period, the installation of Communist regimes afterward or the fall of Communism in 1989-91. The author only discusses such things so far as they affect international and intranational boundaries.

Rating:
Summary: A good reference, but only a reference
Review: This book helps make sense of the complex history of Central Europe in both words and maps, in a way that nationalist histories of individual countries often fail to do. The complex relations between the various empires, frequently changing borders and both major and minor wars make Central Europe one of the most complex areas to understand, and this book helps immensely. I read it in conjuction with Lonnie R. Johnson's "Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends", which explores some information in more detail, but ignores other aspects that are covered by the atlas.

Rating:
Summary: Making Sense of Central Europe
Review: This book helps make sense of the complex history of Central Europe in both words and maps, in a way that nationalist histories of individual countries often fail to do. The complex relations between the various empires, frequently changing borders and both major and minor wars make Central Europe one of the most complex areas to understand, and this book helps immensely. I read it in conjuction with Lonnie R. Johnson's "Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends", which explores some information in more detail, but ignores other aspects that are covered by the atlas.