A Traveller's History of Croatia (Interlink Traveller's Histories)

“The Balkans,” Winston Churchill is reputed to have said, “produce more history than can be consumed locally.” This remark, quoted on the first page of this book, is fully borne out in the following pages that tell the colorful story of this land from the paleolithic to 2016. The author has mastered an amazing amount of information and presents it in a pleasant, almost conversational style.Exactly what is a “Traveller's History”? No explanation is offered, but the designation probably explains why there are no footnote or endnote references such as one would expect in “A Scholar's History.” At the end of the book, there is a list of twenty books of “Further Reading,” all in English. There is, however, a “Historical Gazetteer” with descriptions of 26 important cities and page references to where they are mentioned. A list of ruler's is also helpful. I would have liked more references, but the book should be judged by what it set out to do.The author's treatment of the wars of the 1990s is even-handed. They realized the aspirations of the Croats over 900 years for independence, yet they also undoubtedly involved war crimes on all sides.The author is a good story teller; I found not a dull page.

A fascinating work. I brought it along to read on a trip to Croatia and, of the three or four histories of Croatia I've read, it was by far the most enjoyable.

…of various civilizations along the east coast of the Adriatic going back millennia. Serious food for thought. Apparently the wonders of the area were well appreciated long before the printing press came along…

I bought this book because I went to Croatia and wanted to know a little history. It was informative but sort of dull. Some history books are interesting. This one was factual, so it was okay. I learned a lot that I didn't know, but my mind would sort of trail off. The print was a little small, too.

Provided a great background on the history of the area which added depth and insight to our trip.

In prepartion for travel to Croatia and the surrounding area, I wanted some historical and cultural background information to provide a context for the sights and experiences of my trip. I figured a book called "A Traveller's History of Croatia" would be exactly what I was looking for. Boy, was I wrong. This book provides little more than a mind numbing list of dates and names. There are no pictures, only a few, laughable hand drawn sketches. There are a few maps, also of poor quality. This book does not tell the story of Croatia nor does it provide any useful information for a traveller to the region.

I read this book while on a recent trip to Croatia. Mr. Curtis did a wonderful job of filling in gaps without weighing down the reader with too much ballast. The author also leavens his analysis with humor, (he likens government attempts to cure inflation to "trying to cure an alcoholic with alcohol") often inserting jokes and anecdotes which Croatians, Serbs and Bosnians tell on one another. I found especially useful his concise analysis of the wars in the 1990's--a laudable job of wrestling with all those moving parts within other moving parts.

What a wealth of information for a person interesting in the history of Croatia and the surrounding areas. Very well written.