A Concise History of Hungary (Cambridge Concise Histories)

Miklos Molnar's "A Concise History of Hungary" provides exactly what the book's title indicates. In this entry in Cambridge University Press's "Concise Histories" series, Molnar, a Hungarian professor who survived imprisonment by the Nazis and fled Hungary after the Soviet suppression of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, captures well the complexity and texture of Hungarian history from prehistoric times through the post-Cold War Hungarian society of the 1990's. To capture all that history in 355 pages is truly a challenge, but Molnar writes well and gives the reader a clear sense of the often tangled alliances and rivalries that characterized much of Hungary's history. Well-illustrated with photographs, maps, and examples of historically significant artwork. Recommended for readers with an interest in Hungarian or Central European history.

For a history book, I felt the author did an excellent job of providing a balanced and comprehensive piece of work that was also enjoyable to read. I enjoy reading history, but sometimes I find myself avoiding history books once I begin them, after the initial interest wears off. I read this on the trains of Europe, and it vastly improved my understanding of Hungary and the surrounding regions, making my visit to the area much more meaningful. This excellent book provided a clear understanding of the background of this often overlooked corner of Europe. An excellent choice for anyone traveling to Slovakia, Hungary or Transylvania.

This is a well-written, seemingly well-researched and authenticated history of the region, people and cultures which combined to create the modern Hungary. This would be an excellent refernce for anyone planning travel to Hungary - whether for the first time or repeat vistis. It provides excellent context for many of the features Hungary in general offers and should be beneficial to the reader in engaging with the Magyar people.

The history of Hungary is complex and long and any writer that can help the reader to comprehend the influences and changes in that course is to be highly valued. I am in the process of reading it now, having gotten up to St Stephen/Istvan Kiraly. The mythology is demystified and where there are no 'facts', influences and historical movements are cited to frame the history. I am only at the year 1000, but I expect the wild swings of the next 1000 years to be told as clearly.

What impressed me the most was the author, a historian, let his complex sentiments towards this fascinating country delicately flow through his account of the country's 800 year history, which really gave this book something more than just the history. It is like reading a story about it, all its up and downs, glory and defeats..The translation was beautifully done; she must have had a great mastery of both French (original text, if I recall correctly) and English.

I am still reading this book, and I am liking it. I purchased it after visiting Hungary and Romania to find family history and learned so much there, and am now wanting to learn the history of the countries. Learning about my heritage. Love that

I am traveling in Hungary and Romania later this year so wanted to learn all about the history of the areas. Not a page turner, but I didn't expect one, but as the title states, it's a concise history covering about 2000 years and I have learned much.

Most of the narrative deals with Hungary prior to the 19th Century, but establishes a solid foundation for the political and economic tendencies that continue to the present day. Contemporary events are not part of the story which ends with the 1998 election.

We visited Budapest recently and wanted to know more about the history of this country. I bought this book but, contrary to the title, it's a long and heavy read, and the typeface is small. There is real scholarship here, but to get a proper historical perspective of Hungary from this book, you'll need a good reading light and a serious amount of time.

book in perfect condition

I am reading the Kindle version of this book. So far it is a fantastic read, very easy to digest and well written. Sadly I know how this one ends.

This book covers about 1500 years of Hungary's history in 355 pages so it can be very confusing as people appear and disappear very quickly. Besides that the history of Hungary is probably very confusing no matter what because there are so many different groups doing their own thing. It's definitely a good start to get a general idea of Hungary's past, but I will need to read a lot more books to get familiar with the topic. I found the adherence to the current ideology of "university and capitalism for all" a bit grating, but I'm sure it works for a lot of people.

Molnár, Miklós. A Concise History of Hungary. 11th ed. Cambridge, UK : Cambridge University Press , 2014.Originally translated from the French : Histoire de la Hongrie.I just received this item and have not yet had time to sit down to read it all, but I have read some excerpts from some of the chapters, and have perused the bibliographical and chronological references and maps. I purchased this book for personal reading, but as an academic reference, it is a verifiable and good first introduction to a deeper field of study. I know I will enjoy reading this, and occasional discrepancies between academic viewpoints will neither impede my enjoyment, nor delving into the subject further. I leave the arguments to the academics writing follow-up publications.