The Middle Kingdoms

Fascinating, masterful ... The breadth of Rady's coverage is as impressive as it is eclectic, with gems scattered throughout the book.

Fascinating, masterful ... The breadth of Rady's coverage is as impressive as it is eclectic, with gems scattered throughout the book.

This is a very impressive book, quirkily original but also scholarly and authoritative, to be read for pleasure and serious reflection , whether in a beer hall in Prague or a pastry shop in Vienna - or a bomb shelter in Kyiv.

A brilliantly suggestive account of central Europe from Attila to Zizek. The Middle Kingdoms is a masterly synthesis.

Martyn Rady is Masaryk Professor of Central European History at University College London. He has written several major works on the history of Hungary, from the medieval period to the twentieth century, but has also written on topics as diverse as the Hussites, vampirism and the Emperor Charles V. Rady's last book, The Habsburgs , was described in the Times Literary Supplement as 'probably the best book ever written on the Habsburgs in any language'.