The Shortest History of Austria
by Nicholas Parsons
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
Our most recommended books
-

The World of Yesterday
by Stefan Zweig & Anthea Bell (translator) -

Language, Truth and Logic
by AJ Ayer -

Vienna: How the City of Ideas Created the Modern World
by Richard Cockett -

Recollections of Wittgenstein
by (ed.) Rush Rhees -

Last Waltz in Vienna
by George Clare -

The Murder of Professor Schlick: The Rise and Fall of the Vienna Circle
by David Edmonds






