Review

Textbooks, Readers, and References

This is a revised edition of a popular and useful historical atlas of Eastern Europe. In this second edition the authors have made improvements to some of the original maps and the accompanying text as well as adding two very helpful maps dealing with the breakup of Yugoslavia and the crisis in the Balkans during the last decade. For readers unfamiliar with the original edition, the book consists of more than fifty maps specifically designed for introductory courses in East European history. The maps, which are each accompanied by a full page of explanatory text, are intended to give the student or general reader a visual aid for grasping the geopolitical situation at selected important moments in the history of Eastern Europe. The first series of maps deal with Eastern Europe today, while the remainder take the reader through East European history since the late Roman Empire. The presentation is not flashy; the maps are rendered in two-colors and the accompanying text is devoid of charts and tables. Yet the information is accurate and comprehensive given the space limitations, and it is presented clearly and effectively, certainly for a neophyte in this subject. The maps are well drawn, and the accompanying text is lucid and helpful even if a bit stilted. There is a very useful select bibliography at the back of the book as well as a thorough index.	1
Particularly impressive is how the authors grapple with the constantly changing political landscape of the region. It would have been easy to have gotten carried away and to have included hundreds of maps in a volume such as this. But the authors, who teach at Wilkes University, Pennsylvania, and clearly possess a solid grasp of the topic, have succeeded at creating a succinct book which gives the reader an appreciation of the fluidity of geopolitics in Eastern Europe without overwhelming them. Younger students may be disappointed with its lack of bells and whistles, and some teachers may desire a book with more economic and social history. Yet this book delivers what it promises and would be an excellent supplement to any introductory course in East European history.	2
Groton School, Groton Massachusetts Tom Lamont

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