Customer Reviews (1)

Perfect for Your Jr Hi Term Paper
I was actually hoping for a "coffee table book" with lots of glossy pictures of Ukraine. This is more like a research book for teens doing school papers, and it would be great for that. There are quite a few pictures but they are mostly small. It does give a good overview of the country (history, culture, economy, etc.) and is up to date (copyright 2006 with a weblink to get current stats). I bought it for my husband (who traveled to Ukraine twice this year) just to fill in some background and history. He breezed through it on the plane and liked it. It is not a travel guide and the maps are very general. ... Read more

Book Description

To the surprise of many, the Soviet Union ceased to exist in 1991, and out of its ruins arose an independent Ukraine. This was a remarkable achievement, and one that owed much to activities in Galicia, as Paul Robert Magocsi reveals here.

Magocsi begins with a brief historical survey of Galicia, where Ukrainian national and cultural interests have long flourished. His subsequent essays focus on the role played by Galicia during the nineteenth century, when Ukrainians were struggling for recognition as a distinct nationality. He places Galicia in the larger context of Ukrainian and eastern European politics, then follows with studies of the nuts and bolts of nation building - language, culture, ideology and so on. He also explores the influence of the Habsburg Empire in creating unique conditions for Ukraine's national and social revival, and considers the impact of both Habsburg and Soviet rule on the Ukrainian national psyche.

This study provides a solid background for understanding nineteenth-century Galicia as the historic Piedmont of the Ukrainian national revival. It is essential reading for historians, public-policy makers, and all those interested in regional differentiation within Europe's second largest country - Ukraine. ... Read more

Book Description
Ukraine is Europe's second-largest state. Roughly the size of Germany and Great Britain or the states of Arizona and New Mexico combined, it shares borders with seven countries and in 2001 had a population of more than 48 million. This lavishly illustrated volume provides a concise and easy-to-read historical survey of the country from earliest times to the present. Each of the book's forty-six chapters is framed by a historical map, which graphically depicts the key elements of the chronological period or theme addressed within. In addition, over 300 historic photographs, line drawings, portraits, and reproductions of books and works of art bring the rich past of Ukraine to life.

Rather than limiting his study to an examination of the country's numerically largest population - ethnic Ukrainians - acclaimed scholar Paul Robert Magocsi emphasizes the multicultural nature of Ukraine throughout its history. While ethnic Ukrainians figure prominently, Magocsi also deals with all the other peoples who live or who have lived within the borders of present-day Ukraine: Russians, Poles, Jews, Crimean Tatars, Germans (including Mennonites), and Greeks, among others. This book is an indispensable resource for European area and Slavic studies specialists and is sure to appeal to people interested in having easy access to information about political, economic, and cultural developments in Ukraine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A poorly researched book with factual and other errors
Sadly, this is one of the very few books with information on this part of the world - and it gets many facts wrong. This book is obvoiusly aimed at the K-12 market, and aims to function as a primer on this region.Unfortunately, it fails.

* Ukrainian place names are invariably given inRussian instead of Ukrainian (for example, Kyiv is spelled Kiev in thisbook).

* Moldovan place names are either not spelled correctly - e.g."Belsiy" for Balti, or given in Russian - e.g."Kishinev" for Chisinau.

* Country names are not accurate - forexample, the German Democratic Republic is labeled as "EastGermany".

* Information on these countries' ethnic minorities isshallow. The Gagauz and Bulgarian minorities in Moldova are simply labeledas "other", and the percentage of the pie chart given to these"others" is wrong (13 per cent instead of approximately 4 percent).

* Finally, many other details are wrong. For example, Moldova isdescribed as having "abundant natural resources and well-developedindustries", when in fact Moldova imports nearly all of its power andnatural resources, and has virtually no developed industry save for somedecaying factories in the Trans-Dniestr Republic.

In short, save yourmoney. If you're looking for information on these countries, lookelsewhere. ... Read more

Book Description

From the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, the geopolitical placement of Ukraine drew the attention of some of Europe’s most influential cartographers. Many of these maps, including ones of exceptional rarity, were collected by the Ukrainian scholar and journalist Bohdan Krawciw.

Krawciw traced the physical and aesthetic depiction of Ukraine across its changing borders as a means of self-recognition and as a cultural and political history of the contested nation and its peoples. Of special interest are his maps of Ukraine from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, at the crossroads of four empires: Habsburg, Ottoman, Russian, and Soviet.

As part of his personal archive, Krawciw’s maps were bequeathed to Harvard University upon his death in 1975. This book serves as both a catalog of his collection and a description of how the maps he collected serve as an invaluable source for Ukraine’s history and a symbol of Ukrainian national identity. The book contains nearly 100 examples from the collection, many in full color, as well as indices listing maps by cartographer and by place name.