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Of course, you can find information on almost everything on the Internet. But books are books and it’s a great feeling to read at least occasionally. And the same goes for books about Slovakia. You can find many interesting things in them, but also illustrations or pictures about Slovakia. These are the best books about Slovakia in English:
- A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
- Illustrated Slovak History: A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
- Slovakia – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
- Traditional Slovak Folktales (Folklore and Folk Cultures of Eastern Europe)
- The Anniversary Slovak-American Cook Book
- Czech & Slovak Food & Cooking
- Slovakia: The Bradt Travel Guide
- Spectacular Slovakia
- The Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia
I believe that this list has attracted you and you will be happy to learn more about these books about Slovakia. So let’s take a closer look!
If you want to buy Slovak gifts or useful Slovak products, you can find them by clicking here (Amazon link).
Best books about Slovakia history, culture, travel guides, and more!
If I tell the truth, sometimes I’d rather open a classic paper book than read a topic on my computer or cell phone. And that is the reason why I want to present to you the best books about Slovakia written in English in this post.
I selected a total of 9 books and I divided them into a few logical categories. So you can, in fact, easier to navigate around them depending on what you are interested in Slovakia.
All these books about Slovakia are easily accessible to English-speaking people.
Books about Slovak History
Are you interested in the history of Slovakia? I found two really good books about Slovak history so let’s look at which they are.
A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival
The book A History of Slovakia: The Struggle for Survival is written by Stanislav J. Kirschbaum, a long-serving professor of International Studies at York University’s bilingual Glendon College.
In this book, you will find the history of Slovakia from prehistoric times before Christ to the present Slovak Republic, which was established in 1993. This book is written very systematically and clearly, so it is easy and fun to read.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Illustrated Slovak History: A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe
When you prefer to see more pictures and photos than just plain text, then this book is suitable for you. It was written by two authors, Anton Spiesz and Dusan Caplovic.
Very few contemporary books on Slovak history exist in English or are readily accessible to North American and Western European readers.
This book thus fills an important gap in historiography about events throughout the territory of Slovakia over the last fourteen centuries and it is also suitable for teaching Slovak history.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Books about Slovak Culture
Culture plays an important role in the life of Slovaks. Slovak culture and its traditions are among the most developed and most interesting in Central Europe. These books will help you get to know Slovak culture better.
Slovakia – Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
This book is written by Brendan Edwards and shows you the beauty of Slovak customs and culture.
In this book, you will learn more about what makes the Slovak people unique and explains memorable aspects of their lives.
It opens a window onto their inner world, traditions, and celebrations. And also describes what to expect and how to behave in different situations as a foreigner in Slovakia.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Traditional Slovak Folktales (Folklores and Folk Cultures of Eastern Europe)
The book Traditional Slovak Folktales is different from other books because it is the first translation of Pavol Dobšínský‘s work into English. He is the most important Slovak author in the field of folklore.
The book was translated into English by Terry L. Cooper and contains the 50 most famous Slovak folktales, collected and published by Pavol Dobšínský. These tales are very popular, especially among children.
So if you like to read tales to your children, this book is a great option for you in my opinion. I am going to read Pavol Dobšínský’s folktales to my children one day too.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
TIP: Check out my list of recommended Slovak products. They are perfect as gifts, or you will use them during your visit to Slovakia (Amazon links)
- Slovakia Flag
- The book about Slovak History
- Slovak Travel Guide
- Slovakia Adventure Map (by National Geographic)
- T-shirt with Slovakia Flag
- Slovakia Shot Glass
- Legendary Horalky Biscuit (Original)
Slovak Recipes Books
I think you already heard about Slovak traditional recipes like Halušky or potato dumplings. So if you like to try to cook some of Slovak traditional dishes, these books can help you a lot.
The Anniversary Slovak-American Cook Book
In the 19th and 20th centuries, many Slovaks emigrated to the United States. These Slovaks began to establish various cultural and social associations in the United States.
One of these associations was The First Catholic Slovak Ladies Union, which in 1952 first published The Anniversary Slovak-American Cook Book.
The Anniversary Slovak-American Cookbook remains a collection of Slovak traditional dishes. You can find there dishes like savory soups, sandwiches, salads, or traditional Slovak sweet cookies, cakes, and candies.
In short, simply the best Slovak-American recipes that the generations have to offer.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Czech & Slovak Food & Cooking
The Czech Republic and Slovakia were part of one state until 1993. Therefore, it is clear that their traditional recipes are very similar.
The book Czech & Slovak Food & Cooking, written by Ivana Veruzabova offers you the best recipes from both of these countries.
The cookbook is featured with over 340 photographs which will let you better understand the practical steps during cooking and also photos of final dishes, along with complete nutritional information for every recipe.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Slovak Travel Guides
Travel guides are especially suitable for those of you who are going to visit Slovakia. But not only for you, but these guides can also give others a good reason to visit Slovakia, even if they haven’t thought about it yet.
By the way, in case you prefer to watch travel guides, check this amazing video about Slovakia:
And here are the best Slovak travel guides in English.
Slovakia: The Bradt Travel Guide
The travel guide, Slovakia: The Bradt Travel Guide, written by Lucy Mallows is one of the best travel books about Slovakia in English you can find on the internet.
It contains a lot of useful information about Slovakia, but not only informative ones but also with practical advice and ideas about what and where to do.
This travel guide was written in 2007, so some of the information is already outdated (we already use the EURO as a national currency, for example).
On the other hand, the practical tips for travelers like places to visit are still beneficial. So this book is a great option for those of you, who want to visit Slovakia.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Spectacular Slovakia
The advantage of this travel guide compared to the previous one is that it was published in 2014, so it contains more up-to-date information about Slovakia. It was written by the team of writers of The Slovak Spectator.
The spectacular Slovakia travel guide contains all the information necessary to travel to Slovakia.
It even contains 35 maps of various parts of Slovakia and more than 1000 photographs of Slovak towns, monuments, and nature. Therefore, if you are planning a holiday in Slovakia, it is definitely worth buying this travel guide.
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Bonus Book
To be honest, I didn’t know a book like this even exists. But when I saw this book, I knew right away that I had to add it to this list of the best books about Slovakia.
The Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia
First of all, important question: Are you planning to live in Slovakia? 🙂
If so, this book should help you with your first days in Slovakia and also before your arrival. Based on reviews on Amazon, it is really well-written book (by Margarete Hurn).
If you are interested in this book, you can buy it on Amazon here.
Conclusion
I hope you found at least some of these books interesting. I think these are the best books about Slovakia in English you can read.
If you already read some of these books or you are planning to read or you know about other interesting books about Slovakia, please let me know in the comment section below.
