Albania Good books

[Bob]

I've ordered (a long time ago, and STILL waiting for it! every couple of weeks Amazon sends me an email on progress... or rather lack of it) the following book:

Albania as Dictatorship and Democracy (Albania in the Twentieth Century)

by Owen Pearson

It's part of a 3 book series on the history of Albania which - for the Albania enthousiasts - will probably be very warmly received. While I've not yet read it, the praise for the book is certainly very convincing.

How many Albania collectors are out there is a mystery to me... not that many I guess:(

[Eric Schena]

Hi Bob:

I have seen that book series - they are rather expensive, but they look very interesting and thorough. There is also a book called

Albania at War, 1939-1945 by Bernd Jurgen Fischer that is very interesting, too. It has a lot of details about the Italian occupation period and the start of the Albanian partisan movement and the rise of communism. It can be a bit of a slog (academic books can be that way :-) but worthwhile in its detail. There are a couple of other books I have read or are reading but they do not deal with the communist period (King Zog of Albania: Europe's Self-Made Muslim Monarch and The Six Month Kingdom: Albania 1914).

I think in general collector interest in Albania has never been huge (some would say desultory at best), but then again, that is precisely what attracted me to the field...

Cheers,

Eric

[Bob]

The Six Month Kingdom: Albania 1914).

Hi Eric - I read that little gem of a book while in Tirana last year. A fun read - both insightful and humorous at times. Makes you wish that you were born a lot earlier in history:)

[noodly]

Yeah, Great series. Full of content and fun. Want to read third part. 

[Belaruski]

Another couple of books worth a look at!

Pickaxe and Rifle: The Story of the Albanian People by William Ash.

A Coming of Age: Albania under Enver Hoxha by James S. O'donnell.

Both are really interesting and the former in particular adds another angle to the history of Albania from a socialist perspective.