The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown [Paperback]

Hugh Agnew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2004

In this much-needed chronicle of a fascinating people, Hugh Agnew offers the first up-to-date single-volume history of the Czechs, providing an introduction to the major themes and contours of Czech history for the general reader. Agnew presents the most detailed chronology of the region currently available, from prehistory and the first Slavs to the Czech Republic's entrance into the European Union. Taking into account both Western and Marxist insights—as well as the input of the newest generation of Czech historians—he furnishes a comprehensive fusion of three different focuses on Czech history: a political-diplomatic view, a social-economic view, and a cultural-intellectual view.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

In this much-needed chronicle of a fascinating people, Hugh Agnew offers the first up-to-date single-volume history of the Czechs, providing an introduction to the major themes and contours of Czech history for the general reader.

Agnew presents the most detailed chronology of the region currently available, from prehistory and the first Slavs to the Czech Republic’s entrance into the European Union. Taking into account both Western and Marxist insights—as well as the input of the newest generation of Czech historians—he furnishes a comprehensive fusion of three different focuses on Czech history: a political-diplomatic view, a social-economic view, and a cultural-intellectual view.

Hugh Agnew is an associate professor of history and international affairs and associate dean of Academic Programs at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. Recognized as an expert in Eastern European history, he has appeared on C-SPAN, Voice of America’s Czech service, and Radio Prague. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 441 pages
• Publisher: Hoover Institution Press (September 24, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817944923
• ISBN-13: 978-0817944926
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > History > Europe > Czech Republic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive in scope, energetic and engaging in style, August 7, 2005

By 

David Starr-Glass (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book, which is a comprehensive and fast-moving account of the history of the Czechs and their lands.

I teach (management) with the International Program of an American university in Prague. My students are almost all Czech and I greatly admire them and love the magical city of Prague. To help me understand my students and their context, I learned Czech and read Czech history pretty extensively. My interests, which focus on the period from the creation of the First Republic (1918) until the Velvet Revolution (1988/9), are explored by many current history texts. However, while specific periods in Czech history are dealt with, a truly comprehensive history has not been available.

This is now remedied. What Hugh Agnew provides, is a very readable, fast-moving text that covers Czech history from the eighth century until the present. The book is excellently researched and the style, while erudite and flowing, is without any pedantic undertone. Of great importance, changing political and power patterns of a broader European region are explored and their impact on the Czech lands explained. This provides the reader with a wider focus and sets Czech historical developments within a European context; something that many histories fail to do, or fail to do adequately.

A second significant issue is that Agnew deals even-handedly with competing forces in the Czech political and power scene. There has been a tendency for many historians, especially earlier Czechs writers, to follow predetermined fault lines in approaching their subject. This is often reflected in stereotypical themes of Germanic influence and Czech efforts to counter this. While Agnew deals sympathetically with the renascence of Czech national identity and aspirations he preserves a fine degree of informed criticism and balance.

I greatly enjoyed reading Hugh Agnew's book and think that many will find that it provides a much-needed, complete, balanced, and enthusiastic overview of Czech politics and the evolution of national identity. It provides excellent coverage and material for multiple ways of expressing the evolution of the Czech lands and the growth of a distinctive Czech national identity.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars comprehensive yet manageable, May 11, 2007

By 

bookkook (DFW TX) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (HOOVER INST PRESS PUBLICATION) (Hardcover)

I read location appropriate books when I travel and I bought this book among others for a recent holiday in Prague. The history of the area is rich and complex and of course, lengthy! This book thoroughly covers over a thousand years of history balanced nicely between periods with a perfect level of detail, moving between key events and quickly describing the key players. It was a nice enhancement to my visits to many of these places.

I recommend the book for anyone who wishes to learn more about this region of the world and I also recommend visiting there!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not perfect, September 7, 2008

By 

Reader "Pero" (Slovenia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Czechs and the Lands of the Bohemian Crown (Paperback)

This book gives us a good general overview of the history of the Czech people and of the Bohemian crown lands. Its main flaw, common with many other similar books, is unbalanced coverage of events from chronological point of view. There was a disproportional attention given to events in newer history at expense of more distant past. Roughly half of the book deals with the history in the period between 1914 and 2002, although this area entered the history as early as in the 9th century. The newest history since 1989 is especially excessively presented in a too detailed way and it would be better to use this space for more exhaustive presentation of more distant history. Otherwise, the author is fair and ideologically and ethnically impartial and from this aspect no serious objections can be given against the book.