In this monumental new book, award-winning author Mark Kurlansky has written his most ambitious work to date: a singular and ultimately definitive look at a pivotal moment in history. With 1968, Mark Kurlansky brings to teeming life the cultural and political history of that world-changing year of social upheaval. People think of it as the year of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Yet it was also the year of the Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy assassinations; the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; Prague Spring; the antiwar movement and the Tet Offensive; Black Power; the generation gap, avant-garde theater, the birth of the women’s movement, and the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. From New York, Miami, Berkeley, and Chicago to Paris, Prague, Rome, Berlin, Warsaw, Tokyo, and Mexico City, spontaneous uprisings occurred simultaneously around the globe. Everything was disrupted. In the Middle East, Yasir Arafat’s guerilla organization rose to prominence . . . both the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Biennale were forced to shut down by protesters . . . the Kentucky Derby winner was stripped of the crown for drug use . . . the Olympics were a disaster, with the Mexican government having massacred hundreds of students protesting police brutality there . . . and the Miss America pageant was stormed by feminists carrying banners that introduced to the television-watching public the phrase “women’s liberation.” Kurlansky shows how the coming of live television made 1968 the first global year. It was the year that an amazed world watched the first live telecast from outer space, and that TV news expanded to half an hour. For the first time, Americans watched that day’s battle–the Vietnam War’s Tet Offensive–on the evening news. Television also shocked the world with seventeen minutes of police clubbing demonstrators at the Chicago convention, live film of unarmed students facing Soviet tanks in Czechoslovakia, and a war of starvation in Biafra. The impact was huge, not only on the antiwar movement, but also on the medium itself. The fact that one now needed television to make things happen was a cultural revelation with enormous consequences. Thoroughly researched and engagingly written–full of telling anecdotes, penetrating analysis, and the author’s trademark incisive wit–1968 is the most important book yet of Kurlansky’s noteworthy career. Read more

The number one New York Times best-selling author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers a fresh and compelling portrait of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz.NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2020 BY The Washington PostHuffPostThe Seattle TimesLit HubThe WeekPopSugarOn Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next 12 months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally - and willing to fight to the end.In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people "the art of being fearless." It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and, of course, 10 Downing Street in London.Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports - some released only recently - Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s "Secret Circle", to whom he turns in the hardest moments.The Splendid and the Vile takes listeners out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.This audiobook includes a recording of Winston Churchill's 1941 Christmas Eve speech. Read more

All But My Life is the unforgettable story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty.From her comfortable home in Bielitz (present-day Bielsko) in Poland to her miraculous survival and her liberation by American troops--including the man who was to become her husband--in Volary, Czechoslovakia, in 1945, Gerda takes the reader on a terrifying journey. Gerda's serene and idyllic childhood is shattered when Nazis march into Poland on September 3, 1939. Although the Weissmanns were permitted to live for a while in the basement of their home, they were eventually separated and sent to German labor camps. Over the next few years Gerda experienced the slow, inexorable stripping away of "all but her life." By the end of the war she had lost her parents, brother, home, possessions, and community; even the dear friends she made in the labor camps, with whom she had shared so many hardships, were dead. Despite her horrifying experiences, Klein conveys great strength of spirit and faith in humanity. In the darkness of the camps, Gerda and her young friends manage to create a community of friendship and love. Although stripped of the essence of life, they were able to survive the barbarity of their captors. Gerda's beautifully written story gives an invaluable message to everyone. It introduces them to last century's terrible history of devastation and prejudice, yet offers them hope that the effects of hatred can be overcome. Read more

This is the audiobook that the leftist elites don't want you to listen to - Donald Trump, Jr., exposes all the tricks that the left uses to smear conservatives and push them out of the public square, from online "shadow banning" to rampant "political correctness".  In Triggered, Donald Trump, Jr., will expose all the tricks that the left uses to smear conservatives and push them out of the public square, from online "shadow banning" to fake accusations of "hate speech". No topic is spared from political correctness.  Trump, Jr., writes about the importance of fighting back and standing up for what you believe in. From his childhood summers in Communist Czechoslovakia that began his political thought process, to working on construction sites with his father, to the major achievements of President Trump's administration, Donald Trump, Jr., spares no details and delivers a book that focuses on success and perseverance and proves offense is the best defense.

• Waterproof • Tear-Resistant • Travel MapNational Geographic's Germany Adventure Map is a highly functional travel tool whether you're exploring the scenic terrain, the many cosmopolitan cities, or the iconic historical sites. Cities and towns are clearly indicated and easy to find in the user-friendly index. A road network complete with distances and designations for roads, motorways, expressways, and secondary routes will help you find the route that's right for you. With specialty content to include hundreds of diverse and unique recreational, ecological, cultural, and historical destinations, this map is a perfect companion to a guidebook. National parks, museums, churches, castles, palaces, and points of interest are clearly indicated as are travel aids such as airports, railroads, and ferry routes.The front side of the print map details the southern region of the country, from its border with Luxembourg, Belgium and France to the west, to Switzerland and Austria to the south, and Czechoslovakia to the east. The reverse side details Germany's northern region; bordering Belgium and the Netherlands to the west, Poland and Czechoslovakia to the east and the Baltic Sea, Denmark and the North Sea to the north. Whether taking in the vast forests, rivers, and mountains, exploring the rich history, or enjoying the art, nightlife, and beer halls, this map will help you make the most of your time in this intriguing country.Every Adventure Map is printed on durable synthetic paper, making them waterproof, tear-resistant and tough — capable of withstanding the rigors of international travel.Map Scale = 1:825,000Sheet Size = 37.75" x 25.5"Folded Size = 4.25" x 9.25" Read more

“Riveting . . . There is a wealth of new information here that adds considerable texture and nuance to his story and helps to set Russia apart from previous works.”—The Wall Street JournalAn epic new account of the conflict that reshaped Eastern Europe and set the stage for the rest of the twentieth century.Between 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire. The doomed White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky’s Red Army and the single-minded Communist dictatorship under Lenin. In the savage civil war that followed, terror begat terror, which in turn led to ever greater cruelty with man’s inhumanity to man, woman and child. The struggle became a world war by proxy as Churchill deployed weaponry and troops from the British empire, while contingents from the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, and Czechoslovakia played rival parts. Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research, Antony Beevor assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the doctor in an improvised hospital. Read more

From Africa, Burma, and Czechoslovakia to Turkey, Vietnam, and Wales here are more than 150 of the world's best-loved folktales from more than forty countries and cultures. These tales of wonder and transformation, of heroes and heroines, of love lost and won, of ogres and trolls, stories both jocular and cautionary and legends of pure enchantment will delight readers and storytellers of all ages.With black-and-white drawings throughoutPart of the Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library Read more

Joza BrizovaIn Czechoslovakia, a country known for fine cooks, a copy of Varime Zdrave Chutne a Hospodarne graces nearly every kitchen. Now this best-selling Czechoslovak cookbook has been adapted for American use. The Czechoslovak Cookbook contains over 500 authentic recipes that convey the essence of Czechoslovak cuisine.Hearty soups made from modest ingredients are one of the hallmarks of Czechoslovak cuisine. Contained in this volume are recipes for such favorites as Garlic Soup, Creamed Fish Soup, and Rye Bread Soup. Robust meat dishes include Ginger Roast Beef, Braised Beef with Vegetables and Sour Cream, Beef Goulash, Tartar Beefsteak, Mutton with Marjoram, Veal Cutlets with Mushrooms, Stuffed Breast of Veal, Veal Paprika, Roast Pork with Capers, Braised Sweetbreads, and a variety of pates.The poultry and game chapter contains recipes for Chicken Paprika, Roast Capon, Roast Goose. Stuffed Roast Squab, Roast Hare with Sour Cream, and Leg of Venison with Red Wine.The Czechs are particularly fond of meals centered around egg dishes and dumplings, for instance Baked Eggs with Chicken Livers, Farina Omelet, Noodle Souffle with Cherries and Nuts, Noodles with Farmer Cheese, Napkin Dumplings, Dumplings with Smoked Meat, and Sour Cream Pancakes. Rounded out with a vegetable dish like Sauteed Cabbage, Green Beans Paprika, or Stuffed Kale Rolls, these entrees make a tasty and inexpensive dinner.The Czechs are justifiably famous for their baking, and The Czechoslovak Cookbook is full of delectable baked goods: Bohemian Biscuits. Crisp Potato Sticks, Salt Rolls, Pretzels, Christmas Twist, Checkerboard Cookies, Bishop's Bread, and Honey Cake.Suitable for both the experienced cook and the novice who hasn't ventured beyond broiling a steak, The Czechoslovak Cookbook is a valuable asset to any kitchen. Read more

Immerse yourself in the captivating life of Václav Havel, the extraordinary writer, philosopher, political dissident, and politician in Vaclav Havel: Art, Activism, and Political Change. This engaging edition from the Czech Out book series is specifically designed for young adults seeking to explore the rich history of the Czech Republic and delve into the remarkable legacy of Václav Havel. Discover the inspiring story of Václav Havel, the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic after the Czech–Slovak split. Learn about the pivotal moments in Czech political history, including the Velvet Revolution, a peaceful uprising led by Havel that brought about significant political and social changes. Uncover the profound impact of Havel's plays and literature, which not only showcased his artistic brilliance, but also served as powerful vehicles for social and political commentary during times of repression and censorship. Explore Havel's unwavering commitment to human rights and his role as a prominent figure in the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia. Witness how his activism and outspokenness challenged the oppressive communist regime, highlighting the importance of political activism in communist regimes and the resilience of those who dared to speak out. Delve into Havel's presidency and the reforms he initiated, shaping the political landscape of the Czech Republic and leaving a lasting legacy in the country's history. This book sheds light on the enduring impact of Václav Havel's presidency and his significant contributions to human rights, political change, and democracy. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of Havel's profound understanding of philosophy and his role as an advocate for individual expression and freedom. Havel's journey serves as an inspiring example of how art, activism, and political change can intersect, showing young listeners the power of creativity and courageous leadership. Explore the legacy of Václav Havel in the Czech Republic, examining his influence on literature, political activism, and the pursuit of a more just society. This book invites listeners to delve into the interconnected themes of Václav Havel's biography, Czech political history, the Velvet Revolution, Havel's impact on human rights, the dissident movement in Czechoslovakia, Havel as a playwright, political activism in communist regimes, and the lasting legacy of Václav Havel in the Czech Republic. Join us on an exhilarating exploration of the life and work of Václav Havel, and discover how one individual's passion for art, activism, and political change can shape the course of a nation. This book is a gateway to understanding the extraordinary journey of a remarkable leader and the indomitable spirit that defined his remarkable legacy. Read more

“Before there was the Perfect Storm, there was the Great Hurricane of 1938. A riveting and wonderfully written account.” —Nathaniel Philbrick   On the night of September 21, 1938, news on the radio was full of the invasion of Czechoslovakia. There was no mention of any severe weather. By the time oceanfront residents noticed an ominous color in the sky, it was too late to escape. In an age before warning systems and the ubiquity of television, this unprecedented storm caught the Northeast off guard, obliterated coastal communities on Long Island and in New England, and killed nearly seven hundred people.  The Great Hurricane, 1938 is a spellbinding hour-by-hour reconstruction of one of the most destructive and powerful storms ever to hit the United States. With riveting detail, Burns weaves together countless personal stories of loved ones lost and lives changed forever—from those of the Moore family, washed to sea on a raft formerly their attic floor, to Katharine Hepburn, holed up in her Connecticut mansion, watching her car take to the air like a bit of paper.   “A very good book.” —The Washington Post Read more

Mukacevo, Czechoslovakia. Two young girls, Manci and Ruth Grunberger, are growing up in a loving Jewish family with their six siblings at the base of Carpathian Mountains, a peaceful region until Hungary annexes the territory in 1938.As WWII engulfs Europe, the area gradually becomes the focus of the Nazi’s Final Solution. The Grunberger family is sent to Auschwitz where Josef Mengele chooses who lives and who dies. Their father, mother, and six siblings are murdered in the gas chambers.The two sisters survive seven months in Auschwitz and another five months marching through the Sudeten Mountains at the mercy of brutal SS guards before being rescued near the Danish border. The sisters are found by family in Philadelphia and become some of the first Jewish refugees brought to the United States.From these traumatic beginnings, what emerges are two fulfilling life stories. The sisters have different beliefs, interests, and coping methods, and yet, their personal bond—the selfless, unconditional love between them—only grows stronger throughout the years.Captured in two first-person memoirs—and presented along with added historical references—this is a remarkable story of resilience and survival that describes a resounding triumph of the human spirit spanning nine decades. Read more

On the night Nazi soldiers come to her home in Czechoslovakia, Milada's grandmother says, "Remember, Milada. Remember who you are. Always." Milada promises, but she doesn't understand her grandmother's words. After all, she is Milada, who lives with her mama and papa, her brother and sister, and her beloved Babichka. Milada, eleven years old, the fastest runner in school. How could she ever forget?Then the Nazis take Milada away from her family and send her to a Lebensborn center in Poland. There, she is told she fits the Aryan ideal: her blond hair and blue eyes are the right color; her head and nose, the right size. She is given a new name, Eva, and trained to become the perfect German citizen, to be the hope of Germany's future--and to forget she was ever a Czech girl named Milada.Inspired by real events, this fascinating novel sheds light on a little-known aspect of the Nazi agenda and movingly portrays a young girl's struggle to hold on to her identity and her hope in the face of a regime intent on destroying both. Read more

Inspired by a true story, The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy will touch your heart as no other horse story has before.World War II is raging. Hitler is hiding away the world's most beautiful purebred horses in a little village in Czechoslovakia. Lipizzaners, Thoroughbreds, and the prize Polish Arabians are being used in his experiments to create the perfect war horse.A peculiar twelve-year-old boy from the village named Teodor becomes the groom for one of those special horses - Witez II, one of the most famous Arabian stallions of all time. Witez helps the boy face his challenges and find his voice at a time when little is known about the condition now called "Autism."The Stallion and His Peculiar Boy blends the suspense of a World War II military rescue operation with the subsequent challenges of resettlement in a new land.Click "Buy Now" on the right to begin the adventure! Read more

Winner of the Europe Book PrizeOne of Europe’s most preeminent investigative journalists travels to the Czech Republic—the Czech half of the former Czechoslovakia, the land that brought us Kafka—to explore the surreal fictions and the extraordinary reality of its twentieth century. For example, there’s the story of the small businessman who adopted Henry Ford’s ideas on productivity to create the world’s largest shoe company—and hired modernist giants such as Le Corbusier to design his company towns (which were also the birthplaces of Ivana Trump and Tom Stoppard). Or the story of Kafka’s niece, who loaned her name to writers blacklisted under the Communist regime so they could keep publishing.Or the story of the singer Karel Gott, winner of the country’s Best Male Vocalist Award thirty-six years in a row, whose summer home, Gottland, is the Czech Dollywood. Based on meticulous research and hundreds of interviews with everyone from filmmakers to writers to pop stars to ordinary citizens, Gottland is a kaleidoscopic portrait of a resilient people living through difficult and often bizarre times—equally funny, disturbing, stirring and absurd . . . in a word, Kafkaesque. Read more

“We should welcome the context Kundera gives for the struggles between Russia and Europe, and the plight of those caught between them. His defense of small languages, small cultures, and small nations feels pressing.”—Claire Messud, Harper's Magazine“Kundera focuses on the relationship of Europe’s central ‘small nations’ like Czechoslovakia and Ukraine to Western culture and argues that their cultural identities were increasingly threatened.”—New York Book Review A short collection of brilliant early essays that offers a fascinating context for Milan Kundera’s subsequent career and holds a mirror to much recent European history.  It is also remarkably prescient with regard to Russia’s current aggression in Ukraine and its threat to the rest of Europe.Milan Kundera’s early nonfiction work feels especially resonant in our own time. In these pieces, Kundera pleads the case of the “small nations” of Europe who, by culture, are Western with deep roots in Europe, despite Russia imposing its own Communist political regimes in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere. Kundera warns that the real tragedy here is not Russia but Europe, whose own identity and culture are directly challenged and threatened in a way that could lead to their destruction. He is sounding the alarm, which chimes loud and clear in our own twenty-first century.The 1983 essay translated by Edmund White (“The Tragedy of Central Europe”), and the 1967 lecture delivered to the Czech Writers’ Union in the middle of the Prague Spring by the young Milan Kundera (“Literature and the Small Nations”), translated for the first time by Linda Asher, are both written in a voice that is at once personal, vehement, and anguished. Here, Kundera appears already as one of our great European writers and truly our contemporary. Each piece is prefaced by a short presentation by French historian Pierre Nora and Czech-born French political scientist Jacques Rupnik. Read more

This poignant memoir recounting the author’s experiences after Auschwitz will captivate readers as they follow her through heartache, frustration, adventure, excitement, love, and, ultimately, triumph.After liberation from Auschwitz, fourteen-year-old Elli, her brother, and their mother attempt to rebuild their lives in Czechoslovakia. But it doesn’t take long for Elli to realize that even though the war is over, anti-Semitism is not, so she and her family decide to escape to America along with thousands of other Jews. Little do they know what agonies and adventures await them still. Read more

This treasury of 33 works features all eight of the Humoresques, Op. 101, including the immensely popular No. 7 in G-flat Major; all 12 of the Silhouettes, Op. 8; four Slavonic Dances arranged for solo piano; four Poetic Tone Pictures; and five lively concert pieces — two mazurkas, a polka, a waltz, and the Furiant in D Major. All are reprinted from authoritative editions.Pianist Rudolf Firkusny completed his work on this important collection shortly before his 1994 death. This volume constitutes a continuation of his pioneering efforts to bring international recognition to the music of his native country, the former Czechoslovakia. Read more

Slovakia has struggled with a low international profile. Often overlooked as the Czech Republic’s little sister, it is a young country with an old culture and history, and a people who are proudly Central (not Eastern) European. Although for much of the twentieth century Czechs and Slovaks lived together in one state, there are important differences between them, differences that ultimately contributed to separation in 1993 and the rebirth of a sovereign Slovak state. Generally speaking, the Slovaks are more “Slavic” than the Czechs—their pace of life is slower, and their spare time is more often filled with friends, family, and music. They are known to be resistant to change, yet change has been a constant in the state’s short economic and political history—from the fall of communism in the Velvet Revolution of late 1989, to the Velvet Divorce of Czechoslovakia in 1993, to widespread economic diversification, expansion, and global influence, to European Union membership in 2004, and the adoption of the euro in 2009— and they have adapted with quiet optimism. Slovakia has been referred to as the economic “tiger” of Europe, and now that it has EU membership and a healthy industrial economy, Europeans are starting to take notice. Its popularity as a tourist destination has been growing rapidly in recent years. Slovaks call their country the Heart of Europe—a term that describes not only their geography but the Slovak character, which is warm, deeply hospitable, and immensely proud. Visitors who step outside Bratislava’s Staré mesto (Old Town) and take the time to explore the country beyond will discover a landscape of plains, meadows, mountains, natural spas, and hundreds of ancient castles, and a people at once modest, stoical, humorous, and responsive. This book captures the essence of what makes the Slovak people unique and explains something of the quirks and memorable aspects of their lifestyle. It opens a window onto their inner world, their customs and celebrations, and describes what to expect and how to behave in different situations. While the country is not without its frustrations for foreigners, most visitors succumb to its charms. Few have left without yearning to return to “the little big country.” Read more

In a book that will touch hearts and minds, acclaimed cultural historian Marilyn Yalom presents firsthand accounts of six witnesses to war, each offering lasting memories of how childhood trauma transforms lives.The violence of war leaves indelible marks, and memories last a lifetime for those who experienced this trauma as children. Marilyn Yalom experienced World War II from afar, safely protected in her home in Washington, DC. But over the course of her life, she came to be close friends with many less lucky, who grew up under bombardment across Europe―in France, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, England, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Holland. With Innocent Witnesses, Yalom collects the stories from these accomplished luminaries and brings us voices of a vanishing generation, the last to remember World War II.Memory is notoriously fickle: it forgets most of the past, holds on to bits and pieces, and colors the truth according to unconscious wishes. But in the circle of safety Marilyn Yalom created for her friends, childhood memories return in all their startling vividness. This powerful collage of testimonies offers us a greater understanding of what it is to be human, not just then but also today. With this book, her final and most personal work of cultural history, Yalom considers the lasting impact of such young experiences―and asks whether we will now force a new generation of children to spend their lives reconciling with such memories. Read more

This is the first English language work to examine the subject in detail and the first in any language to identify, describe, and quantify variations and production figures for the models covered. The book focuses on the Czechoslovak Communist period (1948-1989), but reaches back into the 1930s in order to trace the history of the 6.35 mm Duo pocket pistol, which remained in production under the name “Z” until 1974 with a total of thirteen distinct marking variations, and the 6.35 mm model 1945, which had its beginnings as the model 1936. The 7.65 mm model 50 police pistol and its successor, the model 70, are covered in depth, documenting both marking variations and a significant number of design changes introduced during their thirty-three-year production life. The 7.62 mm model 52 Army pistol is given extensive treatment based on data drawn from over 2,000 specimens; in addition to descriptions of both standard and rare variants, significant discussion of the pistol’s mechanical characteristics and potential safety problems is presented. Also covered are the more modern commercial CZ 75 and CZ 85, the military model 82, and the commercial CZ 83, as are small caliber target pistols and signal pistols. Read more

Aged and increasingly ailing European film icon Lída Baarová is taken care of by her stepmother Marcela, a woman five years her junior. As Lida becomes distraught by the effects of the Parkinson disease ravaging her body, and riddled with the fear of dying, her stepmother thinks up a way to distract her—she should recount her life, and leave a lasting legacy to her fans. For the next several months, Marcela records on paper as the actress tells her story.In 1936, at the height of her career, the film star has it all—recognition, a man she loves, worshiping fans all over the continent. But when the all-powerfulPropaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels lays eyes on her, everything changes. He pursues her relentlessly, and pressed both by fear and desire, she finally slips. It soon becomes clear this was the greatest mistake of her life.The affair, though fairly brief, does not pass unnoticed by the terrifying, ever-watching conspirators. Immediately placed under surveillance by the infamous Gestapo, Lída Baarová is banned from acting, appearing in public, and forbidden from leaving the German Empire. With the help of a friend, she manages to flee Germany to her native Czechoslovakia. But her country no longer welcomes her. In fact, she now is regarded as an enemy of the state, a spy, a double agent. She is arrested, accused of high treason, and sent to the infamous Pankrác Prison. And it is from then on that the real tragedy of her truly begins.From a childhood of both family little dramas and unconditional love to making her way to stardom in the 1930s to her fatal decision to accept Goebbels as her lover to the unrelenting tragedies ensuing afterward, Lída unspools a tale of startling naïveté, a doomed forbidden love affair, and the swiftness with which a worshipping world can turn against you. Read more

Beautiful glass scent bottles made in Czechoslovakia during the 1920s and '30s were produced to please a variety of tastes, decors, and pocketbooks. Today, these tiny artistic treasures possess an Old World charm that endears them to collectors. This book combines over 500 gorgeous, full color photographs with period catalog images to provide a comprehensive study of the many styles and shapes of Czech perfume bottles. Featured are "dangle" bottles, cut glass bottles, filigree caged bottles, hinged bottles, micro bottles, intaglio designs, figurals, multiple sets, atomizers, and more. Includes a review of cap styles, valuable information regarding copies and reproductions, collector tips, and current values. Experienced and new bottle collectors will find this book delightful and intriguing. Read more

Lamb of god vocalist D. Randall Blythe finally tells the whole incredible story of his arrest, incarceration, trial, and acquittal for manslaughter in the Czech Republic over the tragic and accidental death of a concertgoer in this riveting, gripping, biting, bold, and brave memoir. On June 27, 2012, the long-running, hard-touring, and world-renowned metal band lamb of god landed in Prague for their first concert there in two years. Vocalist D. Randall "Randy" Blythe was looking forward to a few hours off--a rare break from the touring grind--in which to explore the elegant, old city. However, a surreal scenario worthy of Kafka began to play out at the airport as Blythe was detained, arrested for manslaughter, and taken to PankráPrison--a notorious 123-year-old institution where the Nazis' torture units had set up camp during the German occupation of then-Czechoslovakia, and where today hundreds of prisoners are housed, awaiting trial and serving sentences in claustrophobic, sweltering, nightmare-inducing conditions. Two years prior, a 19-year-old fan died of injuries suffered at a lamb of god show in Prague, allegedly after being pushed off stage by Blythe, who had no vivid recollection of the incident. Stage-crashing and -diving being not uncommon occurrences, as any veteran of hard rock, metal, and punk shows knows, the concert that could have left him imprisoned for years was but a vague blur in Blythe's memory, just one of the hundreds of shows his band had performed over their decades-long career. At the time of his arrest Blythe had been sober for nearly two years, having finally gained the upper hand over the alcoholism that nearly killed him. But here he faced a new kind of challenge: jailed in a foreign land and facing a prison sentence of up to ten years. Worst of all, a young man was dead, and Blythe was devastated for him and his family, even as the reality of his own situation began to close in behind PankráPrison's glowering walls of crumbling concrete and razor wire. What transpired during Blythe's incarceration, trial, and eventual acquittal is a rock 'n' roll road story unlike any other, one that runs the gamut from tragedy to despair to hope and finally to redemption. While never losing sight of the sad gravity of his situation, Blythe relates the tale of his ordeal with one eye fixed firmly on the absurd (and at times bizarrely hilarious) circumstances he encountered along the way. Blythe is a natural storyteller and his voice drips with cutting humor, endearing empathy, and soulful insight. Much more than a tour diary or a prison memoir, Dark Days is D. Randall Blythe's own story about what went down--before, during, and after--told only as he can. Read more

INTRODUCED BY JAN MORRIS'[This] gloriously ornate account of that epic journey is a classic' ROBERT MACFARLANE'The feeling of being lost in time and geography with months and years hazily sparkling ahead is a prospect of inconjecturable magic.' In 1933, aged eighteen, Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on his 'great trudge', a year-long journey by foot from the Hook of Holland to Istanbul. Three decades later he wrote A Time of Gifts, the sparklingly original account of the first part of this youthful adventure, which took him through the Low Countries, up the Rhine, through Germany, down the Danube, through Austria and Czechoslovakia, and as far as Hungary.Alone, carrying only a rucksack and with a small allowance of only a pound a week, Fermor had planned to sleep rough - to live 'like a tramp, a pilgrim, or a wandering scholar' - but a chance introduction in Bavaria led to comfortable stays in castles, and provided a glimpse of the old Europe of princes and peasants.Hailed as a masterpiece, A Time of Gifts is in part a coming-of-age memoir, but it is also a rich and compelling portrait of a continent that - despite its resplendent domes and monasteries, its great rivers and grand cities - was soon to be swept away by war, modernisation and profound social change. 'Not only is this journey one of physical adventure but of cultural awakening. Architecture, art, genealogy, quirks of history and language are all devoured -- and here passed on -- with a gusto uniquely his' COLIN THUBRON, SUNDAY TIMES'One of the most romantic books of the twentieth century, Patrick Leigh Fermor's account of a long walk across Europe is also a literary treasure, a rich blend of action and observation' GUARDIAN Read more

Few composers have achieved the widespread and lasting popularity of Antonin Dvořák. He was a master of instrumentation and symphonic form, composing a total of nine symphonies. His most celebrated work, Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" (composed during Dvořák's three-year stay in America), echoes the folk spirit of his native Czechoslovakia as well as American influences, and is filled with the spontaneous melodic invention, rhythmic variety, and intensity of harmony that characterize his orchestral works.The popular acclaim accorded the symphony "From the New World" tends to overshadow Dvořák's other symphonies, but Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians notes the "interesting…form…folk-spirit…virile serenity" of Symphony No. 8. The delightful freshness and uninhibited emotionalism of the composition have contributed to its lasting success. The Dover edition presents both symphonic masterpieces — among the most popular works in the orchestral repertoire — reprinted from authoritative editions in one inexpensive, practical volume.This full-size, easy-to-read score has been printed with generous margins to allow insertion of notes, analyses, etc. The sturdy binding, high quality of reproduction, and affordable price make this volume ideal for musicians, music students, and music lovers in general. Read more

Wind-Blown Roads is based on the diaries and writings of Helene Limvere. It traces her humble beginnings as a daughter of poor Estonian farmers in the early 20th century to her marriage into an upper class Estonian family of German descent. After the invasion of Estonia by Russia in 1940, Helene's husband joins the German army to fight the Russians and thus Helene's life is irrevocably altered.When Russia launches its second invasion and occupation of Estonia in 1944, Helene knows that as a spouse of a German soldier, she must forever leave her beloved Estonia. With three young children and pregnant with a fourth, she embarks on a harrowing escape. Her travel from Estonia to Poland to Czechoslovakia to the American Zone in Germany and eventually to America is a gripping story of constant fear, perseverance and hope. Read more

My almost-60-year journalism career began in 1964 on an overstuffed sofa in a Montgomery Ward store in Houston TX. With somewhat harder chairs waiting in Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. My travels ranged from the World Ice Skating Championships in Czechoslovakia to Loretta Lynn's homeplace way up Butcher Hollar KY to interviewing Muhammad Ali in his mother's Louisville house to a Southern Indiana nudist colony.Bob Hill has won many awards for his writing, including the Ernie Pyle Legacy Award, which recognizes the ability to connect with people and tell their stories. Hill did that for 33 years in 4,000 columns he wrote for the Louisville Times and Courier Journal, and in the ten books he has authored. He is the author of the best seller Double Jeopardy, An Electrifying True Story of Senseless Cruelty, Murderous Rage, and Justice Miscarried. OUT HERE gives us great insight into a storyteller that speaks from the heart and the soul of real America. Read more