Family Tree Guide Book to Europe

A "passport to tracing genealogy across Europe," this book is an excellent reference work for genealogists with many European ancestors. Best for beginners, or family historians who have limited research experience in at least some of the countries of Europe.

Dividing Europe into 14 sections, this book provides an overview of each area's history, plus the basic how-tos of finding and using relevant genealogical records, societies, archives and libraries, Web sites, and periodicals.

Covered Regions/Countries: 1-Ireland, 2-England & Wales, 3-Scotland, 4-Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway & Sweden), 5-France, 6-Benelux (Belgium, Luxembourg & the Netherlands), 7-Germanic Region (Austria, Germany, Lichtenstein & Switzerland), 8-Poland, 9-Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Carpathian Rus', Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Slovenia and Croatia), 10-Russia & Baltic Region, 11-Italy, 12-Greece & The Mediterranean, 13-Spain & Portugal, and 14-European Jewish Ancestors.

The authors do a commendable job of introducing the background and history of each country - including important information on naming practices, boundary changes, and geographical divisions. Hundreds of online and print resources are included, providing a good stepping-stone to further genealogy research in each country. The broad nature of the book, however, leaves it disappointingly short of details on specific genealogical records (outside of the usual vital and census records) and how and where to obtain them. All of Eastern Europe, for example, is discussed in only 20 pages. Overall, however, "The Family Tree Guide Book to Europe" is an excellent resource for newcomers to European genealogy.