Books

There are not many books published in English outside Estonia but we are glad to say that most of these are written by members of BEST! Books published in Estonia are rarely sold abroad so we have divided this list into those available in Britain and those which should be bought in Estonia. Many books, both old, second-hand and new can be purchased online from AbeBooks.co.uk.

Review of recently published books

The Association's newsletter LENNUK regularly reviews recent books. To see a pdf of the reviews in the Spring 2010 newsletter, click here.

Published in Britain

History

For a general historical background to the whole Baltic area, Alan Palmer’s Northern Shores cannot be beaten. Members may already know his books on 19th and 20th century European history. John Hiden has written many books on the German influence in the three Baltic countries during the 20th century. His most recent one is Neighbours or Enemies? which covers all the famous Baltic Germans who left both negative and positive influences in  Estonia. His earlier one The Baltic Nations and Europe gives a concise and very readable history of the area which few others have managed to do.

Specifically on Estonia, there is Rein Taagepera’s Estonia, Return to Independence which, despite its title, does in fact have a long introductory chapter on earlier times. It was published in 1994. More recent is David Smith’s Estonia, Independence and European and Integration which covers the 1990s as well as the transition from Soviet times.

Guidebooks

Before travelling to Estonia, visit Stanfords in Long Acre, Covent Garden (www.stanfords.co.uk) as they stock a wide range of books and maps on Estonia. They import maps from Regio, the main publisher in this field in Estonia. They also have a shop in Corn Street, Bristol. They are many guidebooks to the Baltics as a whole but only the Bradt Guide to Estonia by Neil Taylor covers Estonia in depth and exclusively. This should be read in conjunction with Estonia Culture Smart by Clare Thomson and The Xenophobe’s Guide to Estonians to be published later this year. Baltic Approaches by Peter Unwin gives a historical introduction to most of the ports around the Baltic which cruise passengers are likely to visit.

Translations from Estonian

Several novels by  Jaan Kross, who wrote through the Soviet period and the 1990s, have been translated into English including The Czar’s Madman and Treading Air. It is now possible to read some of Estonia’s most famous writer AH Tammsaare as Norvik have just published his Misadventures of the New Satan. Let us hope we do not have to wait too long for his Truth and Justice to be available in English. Norvik have also published The Beauty of History by Viivi Luik. Another recent translation is of Mati Unt’s Diary of a Blood Donor.

Published in Estonia

The two best sources of books in English in Tallinn are Raamatukoi at Harju 1 (www.raamatukoi.ee), although it sadly closes on Sundays and public holidays and Apollo at Viru 23 (www.apollo.ee) which sensibly opens every day. Raamatukoi also has a wide selection of second-hand books, booklets and postcards, mainly from Soviet times and the early 1990s.

Indrek Rohmets’ A Cultural Guide to Estonia deliberately does not cover Tallinn and Tartu but describes not only the expected churches and town halls throughout the country, but also manor houses, gravestones and monuments. Without doubt, the best locally produced guidebook to Tallinn is Walking in Old Tallinn by Tõnu Koger, where the photography is as original as the text. Justin Petrone's book My Estonia (available also as Minu Eesti) is one of a series of 'Minu...' books published by Petrone Print in Tartu. It is a lighthearted view of the pitfalls and pleasures that Justin, a young American man, experienced on settling in Estonia and getting to grips with its customs and culture. Available on www.amazon.co.uk

Former Prime Minister Mart Laar has written a wide range of booklets on Estonia in WWII and under the Soviet occupation. Red Terror and The Forgotten War are the best known and the full list can be seen on the websites of Apollo and Raamatukoi given above. He has also written a full history of Estonia, Estonia’s Way, going back to the earliest settlements. Hopefully his work on the 1944 campaigns will soon be published in English.

Symbol of Dawn is a biography of Estonia’s most famous woman, Lydia Koidula, written by Madli Puhvel. It is really much more than this in its portrayal of Estonian life at the beginning of the National Awakening period in the 19th century. The 80th anniversary of the birth of Lennart Meri was celebrated not only with the renaming of Tallinn airport in his honour but also by the publication of his speeches in A European Mind and by tributes from many former colleagues in Lennart Meri, The Pathfinder.

Please let us know about books on Estonia that you have enjoyed and would recommend to other BEST members.