Into the Carpathians: A Journey Through the Heart and History of East Central Europe (Part 2: The Western Mountains) [Black and White Editio - Alan E. Sparks

Finalist, 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Travel and Regional Non-Fiction categories.

The journey continues in Part 2 of Into the Carpathians: an engaging chronicle of a hiking and wildlife research expedition along the Carpathian and Sudety Mountains, from Romania to Germany, some 800 miles as the crow flies. Still on the trail of wolves, we now explore the enchanting mountain landscapes of Slovakia, Poland, and the Czech Republic, where encounters with wolves, bears, and lynx; lumberjacks, shepherds, and outlaws; poets, tyrants, and saints; nomads, nobles, and knights; sprites, spirits, and witches--and such ancient peoples as Neanderthals, Celts, and Quadi, and such imposing historical figures as Marcus Aurelius of the Roman Empire, Svatopluk I of Great Moravia, Stephen I of the Kingdom of Hungary, Boleslaw the Brave of the Kingdom of Poland, and Jan Sobieski of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth--provide broad insight into the natural, historical, and mythological forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, the nations, cultures, and psyches along the way. 72 black & white photographs also emblaze this memorable trek (we also offer a Deluxe Color Edition with the photos in color: see ISBN 978-0578705705).