For this history class we have read a great variety of books and articles. Two of my favorites, and my go-to books for this class have been Benjamin Curtis's The Habsburgs: The History of a Dynasty, and The Price of Freedom: A history of East Central Europe from the Middle Ages tot he Present by Piotr S. Wandycz. Both of these books are different and serve different purposes, but they complement each other well, ultimately working better together than apart.
Curtis's novel, which can be described as a dynastic or political history, focuses completely on the Habsburg dynasty. Instead of spending the majority of the book discussing the political happenings throughout Europe he only discusses themes that directly affect or were affected by the Habsburg family. The book is organized by dynastic leaders in chronological order, instead of focusing on dates. Each chapter concludes with a section noted as "Dynastic Strategies" which reflects on the long-term effects that each ruler (or rulers) discussed in the section had on the imperial family in the long term. This set up is great for detailed information. The organization of this book makes it easy to read and create a greater familiarity with the Habsburg dynasty. Instead of focusing merely on wars, revolts, and ideological movements--like most other history books do--it is easier for the reader to follow the history and learn "why" history unfolded like it did.
The Price of Freedom is a completely different type of book, known as a "grand narrative." Instead of trying to focus on one broad theme, such as the Habsburg dynasty, the author tries to touch on a little bit of everything that has to do with the history of East Central Europe. Because the scope of this novel includes a massive 500-year time frame, the author has to sacrifice some details for the sake of the historical timeline at large. Most of this book does have to do with battles, revolts, and ideological movements that Curtis's novel ignores.
I found these two novels to be the most helpful in this class because they complement each other quite well. Where The Habsburgs may leave out some information, for example, details about the Polish Commonwealth, I can usually find details in The Price of Freedom. Likewise, where the Price of Freedom may not explain in depth various rulers of the Habsburg dynasty and why they made certain decisions, I can easily jump back to The Habsburgs and find more information about certain rulers as well as the dynastic context.
