Born January 1, 1993, after the split with Slovakia, the Czech Republic is one of the youngest members of the European Union. Despite its youth, this new state and the areas just outside its modern borders boast an ancient and intricate past. With "A History of the Czech Lands," editors Jaroslav Pánek and Oldrich Tuma—along with several scholars from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Charles University—provide one of the most complete historical accounts of this region to date.

Pánek and Tuma’s history begins in the Neolithic Era and follows the development of the state as it transformed into the Kingdom of Bohemia during the ninth century, into a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, into Czechoslovakia after World War I, and finally into the Czech Republic. Such a tumultuous political past arises in part from a fascinating native people, and "A History of the Czech Lands" profiles the Czechs in great detail, delving into past and present traditions and explaining how generation after generation adapted to a perpetually changing government and economy. In addition, contributors examine the many minorities that now call these lands home—Jews, Slovaks, Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and others—and how each group’s migration to the region has contributed to life in the Czech Republic today.

With sixty new illustrations and an additional chapter examining the transformation of the Czech Republic from a post-communist country into a member of the European Union, this new edition of "A History of the Czech Lands" will be essential for scholars of Slavic, Central, and East European studies and a must-read for those who trace their ancestry to these lands.