This book provides a general introduction to the history of Bulgaria and the Bulgarians. The text and illustrations trace the rich and dramatic story from the days when Bulgaria was the centre of a powerful medieval empire, through the long centuries of Ottoman rule, to the cultural renaissance of the nineteenth century and the political upheavals of our own century. Independence, when achieved, posed its own problems. The most persistent - that of the frontiers and territorial dissatisfaction - led Bulgaria into three wars during the twentieth century. In all three Bulgaria emerged as a loser, yet war did not always bring dishonour: for example, Bulgaria managed to save its Jews from deportation to the gas chambers during the second world war. Communist domination seemed to merge Bulgaria into the Soviet orbit but, as the post-communist years have shown, Bulgaria and the Bulgarians have a sturdy sense of national pride and identity.
A Concise History of Bulgaria (Cambridge Concise Histories)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Crampton, in A Concise History of Bulgaria has produced a valuable introduction to the history of the Bulgarian people and their state....R.J. Crampton's A Concise History of Bulgaria is the best short treatment of the history of Bulgaria currently available." James R. Payton, Jr., Canadian Journal of History
Book Description
For the increasing number of western travellers who visit Bulgaria either on holiday or on business, this is the ideal introduction to the country's fascinating past. The rich and dramatic story of the Bulgarians is traced from medieval times through Ottoman rule and the cultural flowering of the nineteenth century to the turbulent years of the twentieth century.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book presents the history of this country in a surprisingly thorough manner for a shorter history book. The struggles and strife of a people and a country are excellently portrayed with clarity and a hint at the emotions they must have felt. The struggle to protect the borders of the land from powerful enemies coming from all directions provides an interesting theme which kept me reading. I was also emotionally touched by the bravery of these people in defying Hitler and refusing to send Jews to their deaths during WWII.
I was inspired to begin learning in more detail about periods and events in Bulgarian History.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Bulgaria is a little-known but fascinating country that has labored for years in obscurity. It has always been behind some Curtain--the Iron Curtain for four decades, the Ottoman Curtain for five centuries, and Byzantium before that. Until now, there have been only a handful of scholarly books on the country, and these have been on narrow periods or topics. There hasn't been a book that would allow an educated reader to get a grasp of the country as a whole. Now there is. This book, by a noted Oxford scholar, is clear, concise, and yet reasonably short. Recommended.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book to be a good coverage of the subject matter, starting mainly about 600 AD and moving forward. I found the subject matter to be very interesting, partly because I knew so little about Bulgaria. Reading this book enhances my understanding of Greek, Serbian, and Turkish history (such as it is). This is an area left out of my earlier education, and this book does of good job of efficiently relating the broad sweep of Bulgarian history. At times I felt the book might have benefited from a more in depth discussion of the contemporary economic, intellectual, or cultural context bearing on certain events or trends. On the other hand, the author does not get bogged down in interesting trivia. The author does a good job of relating the main events in Bulgaria of the past 1400 years, and I enjoyed reading it.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't buy the Kindle version
I have no problem with the content with this book but the Kindle version is horrible. The type looks like it was scanned in by an inferior scanner. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Leo V. Brown
"Concise" is an understatement!!
In the preface, Crampton warns of his insistence that his own students follow a policy of "brevity". Read more
Published 14 months ago by Todd B Anderson
An excellent introduction
This is a very thorough book covering the whole history of Bulgaria in one volume. I would have liked more information about the mediaeval period such as Tsar Samuel's empire.
Published on March 23, 2009 by Ed Ames
Very Concise Bulgarian History
This book is very good at giving a history of Bulgaria that is useful to the Bulgarian visitor. I travel to Bulgaria each year, and wish that I had been able to read this book... Read more
Published on January 13, 2009 by Andrew Rountree
Rich History of Bulgaria Covered Brilliantly
It is not easy to write a concise history of a nation that is over 1300 years old but this account takes that time frame and boils it into an easy to follow account of the... Read more
Published on December 5, 2008 by Clay Cook
Dense but Thorough
You have to really want to learn about early Bulgarian history to enjoy this book. It's very data oriented & can be a little boring, as it is written in a typical academic style... Read more
Published on July 12, 2008
An OK history of a small Balkan country.
Yes, I have been to Bulgaria and I actually know some Bulgarians in the Chicago area. This book serves the purpose of those trying to find out a little about this ancient country... Read more
Published on April 2, 2008 by Kevin M Quigg
Excellent review of Bulgarian history
As other reviewers have already said - this book is surprisingly thorough. The author goes through the most important events in Bulgarian history and puts things very nicely in... Read more
Published on May 10, 2006 by G. Mladenov
A solid review of Bulgarian history
This book provides a nice review of Bulgarian history, though at times it gets bogged down in a sea of place and people names, losing, for me the reader, the main thesis. Read more
Published on October 22, 2005 by Steven Mlodinow
bulgaria rules!!!
ive been a big fan of bulgaria for years. i was fascinated by bulgaria since before i could walk. this is the greatest book ive ever read. really!!! you will love it too!! Read more
Published on May 24, 2002
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
"The lands which now constitute the state of Bulgaria were amongst the first in Europe to witness the emergence of organised, social life." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand national assembly Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Soviet Union, Eastern Rumelia, Democratic Party, Black Sea, San Stefano, Eastern Europe, Liberal Party, Alexander Battenberg, Military League, East European, King Boris, Red Army, Asia Minor, Christian Bulgarians, Ivan Alexander, Ivan Asen, Prince Ferdinand, Democratic Alliance, Fatherland Front, League of Nations, Nikola Petkov, United States, Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, Bulgarian Legion, Kutchuk Kainardji New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
"The lands which now constitute the state of Bulgaria were amongst the first in Europe to witness the emergence of organised, social life." Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand national assembly Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Soviet Union, Eastern Rumelia, Democratic Party, Black Sea, San Stefano, Eastern Europe, Liberal Party, Alexander Battenberg, Military League, East European, King Boris, Red Army, Asia Minor, Christian Bulgarians, Ivan Alexander, Ivan Asen, Prince Ferdinand, Democratic Alliance, Fatherland Front, League of Nations, Nikola Petkov, United States, Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, Bulgarian Legion, Kutchuk Kainardji New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 18
books:
See all 18 books this book cites
31
books
cite this book:
See all 31 books citing this book
- The Establishment of Constitutional Government in Bulgaria by Cyril E. Black in Back Matter
- Revolution Administered: Agrarianism and Communism in Bulgaria (Integration and community building in Eastern Europe) by Professor Nissan Oren in Back Matter
- The Bogomils: A Study in Balkan Neo-Manichaeism by Dimitri Obolensky in Back Matter
- Bulgaria During the Second World War by Marshall Lee Miller in Back Matter
- Easter Sunday (Little Easter Pops) by Roma Bishop on page 72
See all 18 books this book cites
- Bulgaria: The Uneven Transition (Postcommunist States and Nations) by Vesselin Dimitrov on page 32, and Back Matter
- Religious Liberty in Transitional Societies: The Politics of Religion by John Anderson on page 111, and Back Matter
- The Red Riviera: Gender, Tourism, and Postsocialism on the Black Sea (Next Wave: New Directions in Women's Studies) by Kristen Ghodsee in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Religious Quest and National Identity in the Balkans (Studies in Russian & Eastern European History) by Celia Hawkesworth on page 196, and page 198
- Postsocialism: Ideals, ideologies and practices in Eurasia by C.M. Hann on page 90
See all 31 books citing this book
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