Customer Reviews

The Vanished Kingdom: Travels Through The History Of Prussia

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I just wanted to personally thank James Roy for writing such a totally compelling account of Prussian history, with the inclusion of personal stories of the human tragedies endured as Prussia ceased to exist after 1945. My mother and grandparents were among those expelled by Russia and Poland. Asside from their personal accounts of these events, this is one of the only English publications I've seen which discusses the human drama in the German east at the end of the war (asside from some occasional token mention in a History Channel documentary).

Yes, parts of the history are portrayed as "romantic", esp. the Teutonic Knights, the landed aristocracy (Junkers), Frederick the Great et.al. , but so what ---- show me a history that doesn't describe the war mongering Napoleon in a similar light. The book is well tempered with the author's experience traveling through now Polish and Russian Prussia, describing the decay and ignorance of the local population with respect to relevance of historic sights (the use of the Hindenburg family cemetary as a garbage dump, with the former estate a collective farm is a case-in-point --> the locals claimed never to have heard of Hindenburg -----> the leveling of historic Koenigsberg and removal of 800 years of German history from East Prussia - including bulldozing cemetaries - is another). Both proud and disgracful history (witness Stutthof concentration camp) - its all here both inspiring and painful. And someone finally wrote it. Should be required reading in any Modern European history course - and would make a wonderful History Channel documentary.

My great grandmother came from near Danzig. Her name was Tarnowski, and obviously had Slavic origins. Her husband, a Proesch from Mecklenburg, was a descendant of the Slavic Abotrite tribes (ca. 800). They both considered themselves German. This book explained to me the ethic confusion of areas like Poland/Prussia. It also highlighted a fact that history has witnessed with Poland: You can wipe it off the map politically, but a Polish/Prussian sensibility will remain. What can this mean for the future? I believe Prussia is, indeed, not dead. Also, that WWIII is not neccesarily the inevitible result of such a conflict. Is the extinction of Prussia another Versailles-like offense to the German people, or can accommodation be made to deflate this "ethnic" horror? I welcome response.

This is the first time I've read this author, and was impressed at the handling of the topic. Far from a dull citing of historical fact, he has brought a perspective on Prussia into the relevance by his "travels through the history of Prussia". As a modern Germany attempts to define itself in Europe, the look back at Prussian history may provide foundation or a map for the certain aspects of a new German future. Topics including the importance to Germany of Konigsberg, and the "ethnic cleansing" of the German territories after the war I've heard mentioned, but never in the first person as dramatically in the book's interviews. The photos further add to his "travels" quite well.

I found this book to be quite enjoyable and easy to read. It was engrossing and I finished it in a few days. It was an area of history that has always interested me and the author did an excellent job of pulling it all together. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in Prussian/German history.

If you are interested in the Topic of Prussia, from it's early History, to it's Final, most Terrible finale; this is the book that you must read. It starts out from the very begining when the place we now call Prussia was just an empty barren landscape. The author takes us to the places where all the great cities and battles of the time took place, and tells us how Prussia looks at the time the book was written, about 3 years ago. He interviews the people who reside now as well. Sure, as some would say there is slander in his tone towards them but if you think of the overall picture maybe he s trying to tell us something about that. Form your own Opinion.

What really puts this book over the top into the Five Star realm is the last 3 chapters when he talks about the Thrid Reich. Specially about the "Trek" that most Prussians had to take in order to get away from the Russians. The tales of the misery, death and suffering is told by interviews from people who went through it. The assasination of Hitler is talked about and a very interesting read as well. There is even a very large interview with a Holocaust survivor that shows the darker side of the Thrid Reich.

Over all a great book and a must read if you want to know about Prussia. In fact it should be the only book you should get if you want to get a good, somewhat detailed overview of that old land where now no Germans reside. Simply a complete book with lots of interviews which in turn, as any reader would know, gets you straight to the point of the theme, without much imagination or thougth on your part.

That was what one coworker told me on the first day of my new job. Yea, awkward. (my ancestors left in the 1880s) Anyway, there is a lot more history to Prussia than Nazism and these days books about Prussia don't exactly pop out of the book shelves; those that do typically refer to places remote in time and place. However, the author has done a tremendous job of joining the past and how they touch and concern lands and locations today. Well researched and organized, it is a great introduction into a history your teacher might have forgotten to cover.

This book is a bonanza for anyone interested in the history of Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike most historical nonfiction, which presents as dry, detached and even stuffy, this work brings its subjects to life, bridging the gap of the centuries and relating history to current events. As an avid student of the complex interrelationship of Germany, Poland and the Baltic countries and its influence on Europe and even the world at large, reading this, for me, was pure joy. However, I think even the most uninitiated into the makeup of this least understood, in the West, part of Europe would derive benefit and interest from delving into Roy's gem of a book!

Mr. Roy has written a splendid history of East Prussia. I highly recommend it for readers interested in European history. Much of his book is concerned the 20th century and the effects of two world wars. This left me somewhat frustrated and I wish the author had included more Prussian history from before 1800. The book would also benefit from more detailed maps. Despite these minor criticisms, I was very pleased with Mr. Roy's perceptive interviews and travelogue, and very impressed with his depth of knowledge. This book is well organized and annotated, and it treats Prussia's complex minorities with equality and sensitivity. It ends on a rather depressing note, and I was discouraged to learn that her neighbors seem prepared to repeat past mistakes and transgressions.

I agree that many of the passages in this book are extremely romantic when it comes to describing Prussian history, but in my opinion the writing itself is great.

And although Roy may be slanted in his opinions when discussing Eastern European politics and history, or when describing the Wehrmacht or Teutonic Knights, he tempers this romanticism with tales of Polish Jewry and the atrocities committed against them in East Prussia and its environs.

I feel the biggest fault of the author's thinking (not the book), is the strong feeling of class that he demonstrates. It seemed to me that if a person wasn't a member of the Prussian aristocracy or a descendant, then they counted less.

Despite these points I thought the book was extremely well written and very interesting. When considering accuracy, though, the reader must read with an open mind and look at where the author is coming from.

As for inaccuracies with titles, such as The Great Elector being called "King Of Prussia" instead of "King In Prussia", there is a whole passage devoted to the explanation of both titles, as well as a geneological chart, so I don't know what the last reviewer was referring to.

If you are a descendant of people from that part of Europe, (as I am) this book will be a fascinating read. Just read it with an open mind.

I picked up this book because i want it to start reading about Prussian History and i wasnt dissapointed. Mr Roy writes a very simple and easy to follow journal of his travels around Germany while, at the same time, explaining the history behind the places and its importance.Altough i would have added some more historic accounts of the generals of the Prussian army, it's still a very good book to start of your interest in Prussian and German history