The Shortest History of Austria

Today, Austria is a small country in Central Europe, but for centuries, it was the fulcrum of events going on in Europe, as the Habsburgs led the Holy Roman Empire and later the sprawling, multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire. This is a short (fewer than 250 pages) introduction to the country’s entire history.

Recommendations from our site

“This is effectively a history of Europe over nearly a millennium. The Habsburgs ruled over vast swathes of the continent for 600+ years until losing everything at the end of World War I. It’s by Vienna-based writer and translator Nicholas Parsons and…packs a lifetime of study into a short book.” Read more...

Notable Nonfiction Books of Mid-2025

Sophie Roell, Journalist