The Companion Guide to Jugoslavia

The Companion Guide to... #8

by J.A. Cuddon

This is the most sympathetic and perceptive book about Jugoslavia since Rebecca West's Black Lamb and Grey Falcon . It is more than a guide book, although it has everything a guide book should have. Tourists who want to see interesting buildings or exciting scenery will learn what is most important to see in each town and in each museum and how they can reach out-of-the-way roads through beautiful places like Rugovo Gorge or the mountains of Slovenia. The real excellence of the book, however, is in the author's knowledge of the people and their language, their history and their legends. TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written in the 60s, this book offers a fascinating (and surprisingly comprehensive) insight into the Balkans back when they could be more accurately described as something close to "undiscovered" (also, the old bridge at Mostar was still quite intact.) I haven't had a chance to test this book against the current situation in the former Yugoslavia, but it's worth reading for the sense of the place it gives you alone.

[Boris Cesnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a discovery, what a lovely little precious travel companion! I can't and don't even want to compare to contemporary travel guides. Probably it was commissioned and written with a different purpose but no matter how comprehensive or detailed are today's travel guides I still haven't read a single one that can throw you in a time and place described and makes you want to go there tomorrow like Cuddon's.
You can hear, you can taste, you can smell and you can picture everything right here right now.