Prague: The Turbulent Century

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Free-Form Pictorial on Modern Czech History
Review: This is one of those books that you really have to hold in your hands to appreciate its qualities. It's worth at least the twenty dollars it costs on the basis of its quality paper and binding, but beyond that it represents a really remarkable and unique illustrated guide to the history of 20th century Czechoslovakia (now, The Czech Republic) as exemplified by the history of modern Prague. I own several books on Prague and Czech history and I've been there a few times, but this volume contains illustrations I've seen nowhere else. Examples include candid and fascinating pictures of late-imperial Prague, pictures made at the time of Czech independence from the crumbling Austro-Hungarian empire in 1918, along with many from the inter-war era and long night of Nazi occupation and Soviet domination, and 1989's "Velvet Revolution". Throughout the book the historical narrative and mostly black-and-white photography is augmented and considerably enriched by hundreds of full-color illustrations, including historical documents, advertising, and other artifacts. The book's few weaknesses include an evident lack of editorial discipline in the presentation of some of the material, and minor problems with the narrative text that I would describe as "mischaracterizations" rather than "inaccuracies". I also noted a few inconsistencies between the languages of the narrative (each block of text is presented in English, German, and French). But these are insignificant quibbles next to the great wealth of wonderful things this book offers. It is a small triumph of social and political history, photojournalism, graphic design, and production values, and it's difficult to drop it into a single category. I highly recommend it to those interested in Czech/European history, art, architecture, and design. And if you are planning to visit Prague, along with exposure to the vast, rich universe of Czech art, literature, music and film, and the also-excellent Knopf Guides series' Prague volume (which you should by all means bring with you), this book will provide you with an excellent context-setting overview of a remarkable city.