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Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

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Richard Crampton presents a general introduction to Bulgaria at the cross-roads of Christendom and Islam. This concise history traces the country's growth from pre-history, through its days as the center of a powerful medieval empire and five centuries of Ottoman rule, to the political upheavals of the twentieth century which led to three wars. It highlights 1995 to 2004, a vital period during which Bulgaria endured financial meltdown, set itself seriously on the road to reform, elected its former King as prime minister, and finally secured membership in NATO and admission to the European Union. First Edition Hb (1997) 0-521-56183-3 First Edition Pb (1997) 0-521-56719-X ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

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.

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 before now.Much of what is happening in Bulgaria now is so much easier to understand with the knowledge that "A Concise History of Bulgaria" offers.It is very helpful that the book can be read with different historical time periods in mind.If you really want to know just about the Ottomans or just about post WWII, you can read that section and get insight into that time.However, reading the entire book will instill a much deeper understanding of the Bulgarian experience.

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 Bulgarians.One of the most important, yet unheralded, countries in Europe is dealt with in a manner that would make the Bulgarians proud of its history.Although embroiled in wars, external occupations and internal strife for much of its history; a rich and diverse cultural heritage has remained intact throughout Bulgaria.This history of Bulgaria should be read by any student of European history as it tends to unlock the rich vault of Eastern European history and its influence throughout the world.

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 (and I AM an academic, so I know whereof I speak).However, I am traveling to Bulgaria this summer & after reviewing two of the more popular books on the Balkans, I opted to start with this one because other reviewers were less likely to accuse the author of have an "agenda."(e.g., read the reviews of Balkan Ghosts).I will probably end up ordering & reading Balkan Ghosts while I am on my trip, but I wanted some other background before I did that.

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 in the Balkan peninsula.Bulgaria has friendly people, lots of history, and possibly a good future.This book tries to summarize the past thousand years of history with an overview.As one of the previous reviewers have already noted, the Ottoman decades have not been covered in great detail, so readers may need to look elsewhere for this information.Altogether, this is an informative read for those trying to learn about this country and its people.

This references a 1996 edition, and I think great changes have happened recently with this country.An updated edition would be nice. ... Read more

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An account of Balkan history (modern Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania), this text covers the period from the first major nationalist rising against the Ottoman rulers in 1804 to the aftermath of World War II. ... Read more

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Tracing the evolution of the Bulgarian state and its people, from the beginning of the Bulgarian national revival in the middle of the nineteenth century to the entry of the country into the European Union, Richard Crampton examines key political, social, and economic developments, revealing the history of a country which evolved from a backward and troublesome Balkan state to become a modern European nation.
Seeing the collapse as well as the establishment and evolution of communist rule, Bulgaria survived an often painful journey from monolithic authoritarianism to representative democracy and the market system. Crampton follows this journey, and analyses the development of Bulgaria's political culture, examining the emergence of radical movements, both agrarian and socialist, as well as looking at the role of religion and the position of minorities. Crampton highlights the problems and dilemmas created by the country's position situated between East and West, problems which might not be entirely solved by the country's admission to the EU. ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bulgaria," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bulgaria in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bulgaria when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bulgaria, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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Publisher: Oxford : Clarendon PresPublication date: 1915Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

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Designed for undergraduates with little or no background in world music, Music in Bulgaria is one of several volumes that can be used along with Thinking Musically, the main book in the Global Music Series, in any introductory world music or ethnomusicology course.Music in Bulgaria provides an overview of the cultural, historical, and political meaning of traditional Bulgarian music. It begins by exploring how Bulgaria's rural traditions affect the expression and interpretation of its music and goes on to examine how the country's social, political, and economic histories have influenced its music over many decades. The book also shows how the musical traditions of Bulgaria have been preserved despite the social changes brought about by the post-WWII era of industrialization and urbanization. It analyzes how Bulgarian music has spread throughout other cultures and how it has made its mark on new forms of popular music. Music in Bulgaria features eyewitness accounts of local performances, interviews with performers, and numerous listening examples. It is packaged with a 70-minute CD that includes examples of the music discussed in the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A short but fairly detailed introduction for non-ethnographers
Timothy Rice's MUSIC IN BULGARIA, part of Oxford University Press' "Global Music" series, is a concise introduction to the world of Bulgarian musical life from peasant traditions of centuries past to the pop-folk ("chalga") combination enjoyed by modern urban listeners. Unlike Rice's earlier work on the subject, MAY IT FILL YOUR SOUL: Experiencing Bulgarian Music, this volume assumes no prior study of enthography, but a knowledge of basic music theory is vital to making the most out of it.

Rice begins with the wedding music scene, the only survival of village communal music that exists in the lives of average urban Bulgarians. Describing a wedding in Sofia, he gives a portrait of Maria Stoyanova, a player of the gaida (bagpipe) brought with a well-known band for this lavish event. He next describes a Roma wedding in a village, the next place Stoyanova was invited to perform. After this fairly substantial dive into Bulgarian music, Rice gives a more systematic tour, such as the distinctive characteristics of each region's music. The reader will learn how to tell a Shop song from Pirin singing, recognise the several most common traditional instruments, and understand the origin of various kinds of music in the agricultural calendar.

The next portion of the book deals with the impact of politics on music, explaining how folk music was sanatized by the Communist government and then exported abroad as world music. "Les Mystere des Voix Bulgares" is the most well-known example. Many American musicians and listeners have been fascinated with the sound of this state-crafted music, whether because of its interesting rhythms, its otherworldly harmonies, or (for a subset of choral fans) because its female voices can be taken as a feminist statement. However, Rice is critical of those who take some aspects of Bulgaria's music without wanting to truly understand the social and cultural background of this rich heritage. Finally, Rice describes the most recent redaction of folk music in Bulgaria, the combination of folk inspiration with modern instruments that creates the genre known as popfolk or chalga.

Throughout the book Rice gives us some neat details about the music described, including instructions for the pravo horo danced at weddings, the lyrics of famous songs, and the scores of some tunes. I must say I was frustrated by the simple level of the writing. The "Global Music" series is meant for college readers but here it seems like a high-school audience is held in mind here. Nonetheless, this is a fun and informative book, sure to entertain and enlighten English-speaking fans of Bulgarian music. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Some loose "facts", but an interesting read
Some of the "facts" in this book are a bit on the loose side. If the book wasn't 100 years old, I'd call them downright lies. As it stands, it could just be that they didn't have access to as much of the historical information as we get now.

But don't let that distract you. You should definitely read this book. Now, I know what you're thinking. "It's FREE! Do I really want to pay that much?" And that's a valid concern. With a price tag like that, you'd better think long and hard before committing. But once you make that oh-so-difficult decision, you'll be in for an excellent read. If you're a fan of shows like The Office, that make you cringe with every inappropriate comment, you'll love this book.

It is packed to the brim with horrible, racist, biased propaganda and a healthy dose of western superiority complex. If you're not chuckling (in disbelief) every 5 minutes, you're doing something wrong. ... Read more

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Published by the Allies' most respected historians on the eve of World War I, this book served as a backgrounder on one of Europe's key trouble spots. Still a superb overview of a region which remains unsettled to this day.

This masterfully crafted eBook faithfully preserves the 1916 revised second edition. It is fully-searchable and fully-printable. (254pp, 1.87 Mb) ... Read more

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Chapters: History of Plovdiv, History of Sofia, 2008 Chelopechene Explosions, St Nedelya Church Assault, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sofia and Plovdiv, List of Mayors of Sofia, Josef Schnitter, Battle of Plovdiv, Bombing of Sofia in World War Ii, Vito Positano, Hashalom, Kaloyan, List of Mayors of Plovdiv, Siege of Serdica, Sofia Psalter, Battle of Philippopolis, Duchy of Philippopolis, Amphitheatre of Serdica. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 73. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The city of Plovdiv situated in southern Bulgaria is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. During its long history it has been conquered by numerous peoples: Thracians, Macedon, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians, Ottoman Turks which contributed to the city's various historical heritage. The ancient theatre of Plovidiv.Plovdiv is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Archaeologists have discovered fine pottery and other objects of everyday life from as early as the Neolithic Age, showing that in the end of the 7 millennium B.C there already was an established settlement there. According to Ammianus Marcellinus, Plovdiv's written post-Bronze Age history lists it as a Thracian fortified settlement named Eumolpias. In 342 BC, it was conquered by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great, who renamed it "", Philippopolis or "the city of Philip" in his own honour. Later, it was reconquered by the Thracians who called it Pulpudeva (a translation of Philipopolis) In 72 AD it was seized by the Roman general Terentius Varo Lukulus and was incorporated into the Roman Empire, where it was called Trimontium (City of Three Hills) and served as metropolis (capital) of the province of Thrace. Thrimontium was an important crossroad for the Roman Empire and was called "...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=17369074 ... Read more

Product Description
Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "Bulgaria," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have Bulgaria in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with Bulgaria when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name Bulgaria, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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72 page softcover edition published in 2006 by Lettera, Bulgaria. ... Read more