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A lost Prague story, thirty years later

The Woman on the Cover of 'Jáma Revue'

One of the Internet’s real strengths is its ability to reconnect fragments of the past that once seemed permanently lost. Old photographs, dusty magazines and chance encounters can suddenly find new context when the right people cross paths online. I was reminded of that recently through the Facebook group Ex-Pats in Prague in the 90s. What began as a blog story I'd written about Prague’s expat publications of the 1990s turned into something totally unexpected. One of the publications I mentioned in my story was the literary journal ‘Jáma Revue.’ To let readers know that my story had been published, I posted a link to it on the expats' FB group and included a photo of one of the ‘Jáma Revue's' iconic covers (the image at the top of this post). I had always admired the cover but knew very little about it -- including the identity of the woman whose back is turned. As it turns out, the model herself never even knew that the sketch was ever published.

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Where the secret police once set a honey trap (for me)

Revisiting Bratislava's Hotel Devín
Scenes from the city's unscripted '90s

Prague Through the Lens of Robert Carrithers
A '90s world of literary journals, mags and 'zines

Part 3: The Lost World of Prague’s Expat Press
A '90s boomtime for business papers and journals

Part 2: The Lost World of Prague's Expat Press
The battles of '90s newspapers and news journals

Part 1: The Lost World of Prague’s Expat Press
Best of Bohemia & Slovakia's High Tatras

Part 4: A Travel Guide for Post-Velvet Czechoslovakia
An early visit to Prague and Terezín

Part 3: A Travel Guide for Post-Velvet Czechoslovakia
A '90s romp through Moravia

Part 2: A Travel Guide for Post-Velvet Czechoslovakia
The story of Fodor's Czechoslovakia '91

Part 1: A Travel Guide for Post-Velvet Czechoslovakia
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About the author

Mark Baker

I’m an independent journalist, travel writer and author who’s lived in Central Europe for nearly three decades. I love the history, literature, culture and mystery of this often-overlooked corner of Europe, and I make my living writing articles and guidebooks about the region. Much of what I write eventually finds its way into commercial print or digital outlets, but a lot of it does not.

And that’s my aim with this website: to find a space for stories and experiences that fall outside the publishing mainstream.

My Book: ‘Čas Proměn’

In 2021, I published “Čas Proměn” (“Time of Changes”), my first book of historical nonfiction. The book, written in Czech, is a collection of stories about Central and Eastern Europe in the 1980s and early ‘90s, including memories of the thrilling anti-communist revolutions of 1989. The idea for the book and many of the tales I tell there were directly inspired by this blog. Czech readers, find a link to purchase the book here. I hope you enjoy.

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Contact

I am always open to new projects. If you'd like to hire me as a writer or editor, or simply wish to find out more, please contact me directly.
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© 2026 Mark Baker
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Tales of Travel & Adventure in Central Europe
Mark Baker