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Die Habsburger
Approx. 8" x 10 1/2" with 272 pages
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
Edward Crankshaw
70 books14 followersEdward Crankshaw (3 January 1909 – 30 November 1984), was a British writer, translator and commentator on Soviet affairs.
Born in London, Crankshaw was educated in the Nonconformist public school, Bishop's Stortford College, Hertfordshire, England. He started working as a journalist for a few months at The Times. In the 1930s he lived in Vienna, Austria, teaching English and learning German. He witnessed Adolf Hitler's Austro-German union in 1938, and predicted the Second World War while living there.
In 1940 Crankshaw was contacted by the Secret Intelligence Service because of his knowledge of German. During World War II Crankshaw served as a 'Y' (Signals Intelligence) officer in the British Army. From 1941 to 1943 he was assigned to the British Military Mission in Moscow, where he served initially as an Army 'Y' specialist and later as the accredited representative of the British 'Y' services, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Following a breakdown in 'Y' cooperation with the Soviet General Staff in December 1942, the British 'Y' Board recalled Crankshaw to London in February 1943. In May he was assigned to Bletchley Park, where he served as a liaison officer on matters pertaining to Russia.
From 1947 to 1968 he worked for the British newspaper The Observer. He died in 1984 in Hawkhurst, Kent.
Crankshaw wrote around 40 books on Austrian, (Vienna; Vienna, the Image of a Culture in Decline; Fall of the House of Habsburg; Gestapo. Instrument of Tyranny; Maria Theresa; Bismarck; The Habsburgs: a dynasty...) and Russian subjects, (Britain and Russia; Putting up with the Russians; Tolstoy: The making of a novelist; Russia without Stalin; The Shadow of the Winter Palace: Russia's Drift to Revolution, 1825–1917; Khrushchev; Khrushchev Remembers; The New Cold War, Moscow vs. Pekin; preface to Grigory Klimov's The Terror Machine).
(source: wikipedia)
Born in London, Crankshaw was educated in the Nonconformist public school, Bishop's Stortford College, Hertfordshire, England. He started working as a journalist for a few months at The Times. In the 1930s he lived in Vienna, Austria, teaching English and learning German. He witnessed Adolf Hitler's Austro-German union in 1938, and predicted the Second World War while living there.
In 1940 Crankshaw was contacted by the Secret Intelligence Service because of his knowledge of German. During World War II Crankshaw served as a 'Y' (Signals Intelligence) officer in the British Army. From 1941 to 1943 he was assigned to the British Military Mission in Moscow, where he served initially as an Army 'Y' specialist and later as the accredited representative of the British 'Y' services, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. Following a breakdown in 'Y' cooperation with the Soviet General Staff in December 1942, the British 'Y' Board recalled Crankshaw to London in February 1943. In May he was assigned to Bletchley Park, where he served as a liaison officer on matters pertaining to Russia.
From 1947 to 1968 he worked for the British newspaper The Observer. He died in 1984 in Hawkhurst, Kent.
Crankshaw wrote around 40 books on Austrian, (Vienna; Vienna, the Image of a Culture in Decline; Fall of the House of Habsburg; Gestapo. Instrument of Tyranny; Maria Theresa; Bismarck; The Habsburgs: a dynasty...) and Russian subjects, (Britain and Russia; Putting up with the Russians; Tolstoy: The making of a novelist; Russia without Stalin; The Shadow of the Winter Palace: Russia's Drift to Revolution, 1825–1917; Khrushchev; Khrushchev Remembers; The New Cold War, Moscow vs. Pekin; preface to Grigory Klimov's The Terror Machine).
(source: wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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May 5, 2023An unexceptional biography of an exceptional family. The text is marred by carelessness. Charles V's reign, for example, began in 1519, not 1619: probably a mere typo and not an error of ignorance. Still, indicative of the general level of sloppiness.
A bigger problem: it isn't written with enough verve or drama to do justice to the theme of the Habsburgs. Take the opening line, for example: "There is a brooding quality about many of the Habsburgs which distinguished them from the general run of monarchs and enhanced the image of their power, an image compounded largely of Catholic bigotry and Imperial reaction."
You can get away with a sentence like that once you've defined some terms and established your theme, but for an opening line it's unforgivably flat.
The Habsburgs are an enormous subject, humanly compelling as well as historically important. Their story is fraught with mystery, melodrama and paradox. Crankshaw's style is insufficient to evoke their hideous grandeur.
What redeems this book are its period illustrations: hundreds of them, both color and black-and-white: a panoply of portraits, paintings, tapestries, etchings and statues that bring the Habsburgs and their lost worlds back to life. If there existed a museum of Habsburg history, this book could well serve as its visual guide. It's the only reason I kept my copy.
I might have been kinder to this book if I hadn't already read a general history of the Habsburgs that does somehow manage to do them justice. That book is The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire, by Andrew Wheatcroft. It's a masterpiece.
A bigger problem: it isn't written with enough verve or drama to do justice to the theme of the Habsburgs. Take the opening line, for example: "There is a brooding quality about many of the Habsburgs which distinguished them from the general run of monarchs and enhanced the image of their power, an image compounded largely of Catholic bigotry and Imperial reaction."
You can get away with a sentence like that once you've defined some terms and established your theme, but for an opening line it's unforgivably flat.
The Habsburgs are an enormous subject, humanly compelling as well as historically important. Their story is fraught with mystery, melodrama and paradox. Crankshaw's style is insufficient to evoke their hideous grandeur.
What redeems this book are its period illustrations: hundreds of them, both color and black-and-white: a panoply of portraits, paintings, tapestries, etchings and statues that bring the Habsburgs and their lost worlds back to life. If there existed a museum of Habsburg history, this book could well serve as its visual guide. It's the only reason I kept my copy.
I might have been kinder to this book if I hadn't already read a general history of the Habsburgs that does somehow manage to do them justice. That book is The Habsburgs: Embodying Empire, by Andrew Wheatcroft. It's a masterpiece.
August 7, 2017
This book could more rightly be called "The sketch of a Dynasty" ; If you have no idea who the Habsburgs were you might use this as a starting point but personally I found that the information was presented in a somewhat unclear way and the author was not objective.
December 26, 2016
Delicious history with loads of illustrations.
September 12, 2023
I wanted to read a survey book covering the story of the Habsburgs - clearly one of the most important clans in pre-Great War Europe (and beyond). I guess this book sort of fulfilled that purpose, but it was not the survey book I was looking for. It is not written particularly well, and pretty much follows the “this happened, then this happened, then this happened” format. There is a small amount of contextualizing, but it also something of an apologia for autocracy. What the book does has is copious, copious illustrations,some of which add value. I personally would have been happy to swap 25% of them for some maps. There is one, count it at the very back of the book, but it’s really not enough to aid understanding in the flow of Empire boundaries.
If this what is available, it does do what it says, but you might want to look further.
If this what is available, it does do what it says, but you might want to look further.
October 13, 2025
The strength of the book, as many have mentioned, comes from the numerous illustrations. I've read about half of it, re-read the first half, and then declared myself done. Good preparation for Vienna and Prague.
May 15, 2012
Can't really say that I enjoyed reading this one due to it's style, wherein the author would first present what seemed like a summary of the chapter, and then proceed with more detail about that period of time in the history of the Habsburg reign. Just didn't seem to present the information in an engaging way, in a clear chronological sequence.
I also didn't realize that a genealogical family tree was hidden in the back of the book until after I had finished reading (that would have made it easier to digest the dizzying level of heirs and family ties).
If my public libray had better books on the Habsburgs / Holy Roman Empire, I would have passed on reading this.
I also didn't realize that a genealogical family tree was hidden in the back of the book until after I had finished reading (that would have made it easier to digest the dizzying level of heirs and family ties).
If my public libray had better books on the Habsburgs / Holy Roman Empire, I would have passed on reading this.
March 27, 2014
This was interesting in a boring way. Full of facts, each member of the dynasty given an analysis regarding his or her abilities and physical attractiveness. Hard to remember and separate all the Charles, Maxmilians and Marias. I feel I have done a good deed by reading it.
April 17, 2012
Decent overview of the Habsburg family and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Easy read with lots of pictures.
October 9, 2013
I would have preferred a more organized approach. The style wasn't very clear. But overall it was a good overview of the Hapsburgs.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews