The Golden Maze: A Biography of Prague by Richard Fidler

Anyone who has ever visited Prague will know it is a city full of history, at times extremely bloody. Falling first under the Nazi jackboot in World War II and then becoming part of the USSR as a socialist republic, it was not until 1989 that the Velvet Revolution took place, when democracy was restored to Czechoslovakia. In the co-called Velvet Divorce a few years later, Slovakia and the Czech Republic went their separate ways. The legends, history and dark past of this lovely city are enchanting, as is this wide-ranging account. It is certain to inspire a new generation of travellers and remind those of us privileged to have visited already, that Prague remains, in these turbulent times, a magic city.