Reading for the Road:
A Few of Our Favourite Books About Austria

Mario Koch

Europe | Austria

At The Slow Road we answer to many names (wanderers, bon vivants, students of life) but first and foremost, we’re a group of dedicated travellers.

That’s why we love compiling reading lists that include those books—from novels to memoirs, and everything in between—that have really opened up our favourite regions.

In this post we’ll round up a few of our favourite books about Austria, a country where alpine summits and monumental architecture are hallmarks.

Must-Read Books About Austria

The Radetzky March

By Joseph Roth

The Radetzky March, Joseph Roth’s classic saga of the privileged von Trotta family, encompasses the entire social fabric of the Austro-Hungarian Empire just before the First World War.

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Written as both a recollection of the past and a warning for future generations, The World of Yesterday recalls the golden age of literary Vienna—its seeming permanence, its promise, and its devastating fall.

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The Age of Insight

By Eric Kandel

A brilliant book by Nobel Prize winner Eric R. Kandel, The Age of Insight takes us to Vienna 1900, where leaders in science, medicine, and art began a revolution that changed forever how we think about the human mind—our conscious and unconscious thoughts and emotions—and how mind and brain relate to art.

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The Habsburgs: The History of a Dynasty

By Benjamin Curtis

The story of the Habsburgs is theatrical and compelling, but it is also vital for understanding how kings ruled, nations rose, and societies changed as modern Europe came into being. This study clearly demonstrates why the Habsburgs are considered the most consistently accomplished practitioners of European dynasticism.

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The Danube: A Cultural History

By Andrew Beattie

The Danube is the longest river in western and central Europe. Rising amidst the beautiful wooded hills of Germany’s Black Forest, it touches or winds its way through ten countries and four capital cities before emptying into the Black Sea. Andrew Beattie explores the turbulent past and vibrant present of the landscape through which the Danube flows, where the enduring legacies of historical regimes from the Romans to the Nazis have all left their mark.

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Mario Koch

A longtime B&R guide turned Trip Designer, Mario has worn many hats: journalist for the Jakarta Post, a sous-chef in Berlin, and a film producer in his native Germany. When he isn't planning trips, you'll find him hiking around Europe and exploring the world in his 1989 Volkswagen bus!