Vienna: A Cultural History (Cityscapes) 1st Edition

Nicholas Parsons has crafted a wondrous and easily accessible historical guidebook to the city of Vienna. The first section of the book concerns the cultural aspects, what it means to be Viennese; the second part delves into the topography, the local dialect, the Viennese approach to pleasure, life and death and so forth; the third part chronicles the history of the city, from the Celts to the Romans on through the Habsburgs to Hitler and post-war. In the first two sections you can dive in anywhere which makes this a perfect book to bring on a trip to the famed Austrian city. The third section, I would suggest is important to read from beginning to end as Parsons traces the rise and fall of kings and emperors, one leading to the next. For me, a quasi-historical buff, I truly enjoyed Parsons discussion on the arts, literature and music in the historical overview. There is a nice balance here between dates and the politically significant events and the cultural world of Vienna to offer a little bit of everything to a reader first diving into a history of Vienna. Highly recommended and again, a must to bring along if you chose to visit the city. My only grievance is that this should have been more of a coffee table book. Following each chapter in part three, Parsons highlights the main architectural features of the era in discussion, giving addresses and the names of famous buildings. I would have loved to have seen these buildings in coloured photographs. Given that there are over a dozen pictures in black and white in this book it somehow doesn't seem to do Vienna justice. This is a minor complaint and I'm sure lugging a coffee-table sized book around in your luggage wouldn't enhance one's tourist experience. Overall, still five stars.

The history is often straightforward, but the reader feels this is all second hand, colored with personal bias and rather grumpy opinions. Its mistake is the attempt to give the book personality, when that personality is strained dispassion. It is an amateur job.The Rough Guide and TimeOut guides actually do a better job giving cultural background.

This is a review of the second edition of 2002.This slim 224-page volume is packed full of good information. It is the perfect size to fit into a pocket and yet contains more useful knowledge than most other guides twice the size: and Vienna being one of my favourite cities, I have my fair collection of other guides to this enchanting and charming city with which to compare it.It commences with thirty pages of practical information from planning your trip, getting there, getting around the city, where to stay, eating and drinking and all the other usual `stuff' that guides books are there to provide. But for me, what makes this guide stand out is the concise history of the city that the author provides over another thirty pages. This must be one of the best detailed and yet succinct histories of the city in English. Moreover, there are three full pages of recommendations for further reading. What I particularly liked is that there is more than usual coverage of earlier centuries, whereas most histories tend to start with the 1683 Siege or with Mozart.The bulk of the guide consists of fourteen walks in and around the city, all with easy-to-follow maps and directions, and all packed full with fascinating cultural and historical information. There are seven walks in the inner city, two along the Ringstrasse, and five beyond it (including Schonbrunn and the Prater). Not only this, but the author provides guides to places further afield such as the Karl-Marx-Hof, Klosterneuburg and even out to Heiligenkreuz and Baden.There is an index at the back, and the rear cover has Vienna's U- and S-Bahn system displayed in colour. Unfortunately, this is the only aspect of the whole book that is in colour. My other gripe is that the author perhaps dwells too much on his love of the Baroque! But these are mere quibbles. Who wants colour in a book when it is all around you as you walk the streets of Vienna. And a love of the Baroque is only a minor sin that can easily be forgiven.Professionally produced and with the cachet of the `Blue Guide' status, this is my choice for walking the Wienerstrassen.

Do not read this book unless you already understand a lot about Viennese and Austrian history. Felt like I was at a party where someone is purposely talking over my head. Very lyrically written, and obviously well-informed, but not for the lay reader. Goes in circles and muses on many interesting points of history, architecture, culture, but without a good context, hard to understand. And my family is Austrian, so I had some context