Top 9 Books: Austria-Hungary

1. The Last Years of Austria-Hungary edited by Mark Cornwall

The eight essays in this book are pitched between 'history books' and specialist articles, providing a useful crossing point for the student and general reader alike. The articles examine different aspects of the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including internal factors - such as society and nationalism - and international pressures.

2. The Dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867 - 1918 by John W. Mason

This is a fairly short, but very concise, overview of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's final half-century; it's also cheap! A range of topics are covered, including the Empire's role in World War One, and Mason avoids stereotyping the Habsburg Monarchy as archaic and doomed.

3. The Decline and Fall of the Habsburg Empire 1815 - 1918 by Alan Sked

lthough the first edition of this volume is now one of the many 'classic' historical texts, this revised version is the one you want. In it Sked not only examines the continued survival, and eventual collapse, of the Habsburg Empire from a European perspective, but he also explains how such ideas have changed in the aftermath of the book's original publication.

4. A History of Hungary edited by P. F. Sugar and P. Hanak

This excellent book has been highly praised, with many commentators claiming that it should become the standard English language account of Hungarian history; I see no reason to differ! The cover won't attract anyone shopping for an aesthetically pleasing book, but look past that to the excellent content inside.

5. A Concise History of Hungary by Miklos Molnar

The lands associated with modern Hungary may have spent recent centuries subsumed into larger empires, but a Hungarian identity can be traced back over a millennia. This excellent work by Miklos Molnar does precisely what the title claims - it provides a concise (the book is a modest 331 pages) history of Hungary, including the familiar themes of society, culture and economics.

6. Hungary and the Habsburgs 1765 - 1800 by Eva H. Balazs

Although this book covers too short a period to be included any higher in this list, it's still a wholly excellent work that has received praise at the very highest levels. Balazs' text examines the state of, and relationship between, Hungary and the Austrian/Habsburg Empire during a period of intense change, whilst also challenging the views of many 'English' speaking historians.

7. A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888 - 1889 by Frederic Morton

I've always liked books that take an alternative approach to the historical monograph, and this certainly does. Rather than sum it up myself, I'd like to quote two amazom.com customers, both known simply as 'a reader': "A mesmerizing cover-to-cover experience that places the reader firmly in 19th-century Vienna" and "Part narrative, part drama/adventure, and part history lesson..."

8. Austria-Hungary and the Origins of the First World War by Samuel R. Williamson

though English speakers tend to view Germany as the major instigator of the First World War, historians are divided, and this work presents a new interpretation of the Austro-Hungarian role. Williamson has made heavy use of primary documentation (we would expect no less!), and this is a potentially thought provoking read.

9. The Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence 1848 - 1849 by Gabor Bona

This book might be a fascinating collection of essays, but it's also very specialised: the articles focus on the military events and immediate consequences of the 'Hungarian Revolution'. The volume isn't too expensive given the subject matter, but I wouldn't recommend the contents to a general reader, or anyone without an existing interest in the military events of 1848.