Book excerpt: This newly-revised edition of the Historical Atlas of Central Europe enhances its formidable scholarship by extending its reach from the early fifth century through the turbulent 1990s to end in the year 2000. The atlas encompasses the countries of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, and Greece. Also included are the eastern part of Germany (historic Mecklenburg, Brandenburg, Prussia, Saxony, and Lusatia), Bavaria, Austria, northeastern Italy (historic Venetia), the lands of historic Poland-Lithuania (present-day Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine up to the Dnieper River), Moldova and western Turkey. The atlas is basically chronological with eighty-nine full-colour maps and accompanying text. Numerous tables and lists provide related statistical and demographic material. Especially useful is the detailed index, which includes hundreds of variant place names. This revised edition includes twenty new maps and eleven new chapters, most of which deal with those countries that gained (or regained) their independence during the last decade. The Historical Atlas of Central Europe will be invaluable to scholars, diplomats, journalists, students, and general readers who wish to have a fuller understanding of this critical area, with its many peoples, languages, and continued political upheaval.