GERMAN TOWNS IN SLOVAKIA When doing research on my wife's grandfather, who came from a place called ``Hunsdorf, Austro-Hungary'' around 1890, I had the darndest time finding out where Hunsdorf is. With some help from the Czechoslovak Genealogical Society, I learned Hunsdorf of yesterday is a little Slovakian village called Huncovce today. If I had had Duncan B. Gardiner's ``German Towns in Slovakia and Upper Hungary,'' I would have quickly found that out -- and a whole lot more. Dr. Gardiner, a Slavic linguist and college professor, has just issued the third edition of this excellent guide. It's been completely revised, reset and expanded from earlier editions, and now runs 113 pages, including a complete index. German communities in eastern Europe were established as early as the mid-1100s. (Huncovce or Hunsdorf, which is 77% German, was founded by Germans in 1234, the book reveals.) Many of these Germans were invited by the Hungarian rulers to establish settlements because the Germans were known for their skills in crafts, farming and mining, Dr. Gardiner notes. Over the centuries, control of the villages fell into various hands, including the Poles and Germans. Even the Mongols destroyed some. Emigration from these areas to North America was common in the 19th Century. Dr. Gardiner's book contains a brief history of these peoples, with hints as to where they may have originally come from in what we today call ``Germany.'' It offers a gazeteer of short histories and statistics on many villages, and has numerous maps to help you pinpoint their locations, as well as show the political makeup of the region in the past. He provides translations of words you may need to know, and even shows you how to write to Czech officials -- in Czech -- to seek information. The German names of Czechoslovak and Hungarian towns are also given. A chapter is provided on doing genealogical research on German families in Czechoslovakia (Dr. Gardiner is no stranger to such research, having made four trips there himself). Also provided are scads of sources -- including books, gazeteers, and atlases, and where to order them in Europe. For anyone whose German roots trace to Slovakia, very southern Poland, western Ukraine, or northern Hungary, this book is invaluable -- an absolute must-have. Copies at $14 postpaid may be ordered from the author at The Family Historian, 12961 Lake Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio, 44107. It's also available from other genealogical suppliers.--J.F.S. 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴� � This file is from The Source of Magic, Ridgefield CT � � 203-431-4687, source for genealogy, radio, & Windows � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴�