The Serbs: The Guardians of the Gate

by R.G.D. Laffan

"The Serbs" was originally a series of lectures delivered by the renowned British historian R.G.D. Laffan. Professor Laffan’s lectures became so famous they were collected and published in book form. Out of print for many years, "The Serbs" is the classic book on an important but misunderstood people. Too many of us only know the Serbs as precipitators of World War I, when a Serbian nationalist assassinated Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand in 1914 causing Austria to declare war. But Serbian history is eventful and filled with intrigue. Anyone interested in a historical perspective on a great and heroic people will find "The Serbs" as absorbing as it is inspiring. For, as Professor Laffan writes, "The Serbs have shown that, despite adversity and homelessness, their spirit remains unconquerable."

Genres: History, European History

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of lectures about Serbian history delivered during the First World War, just before the creation of Yugoslavia. A good overview of Serbia's emergence from the Ottoman Empire and the conflict between the Obrenovic and Karađorđević dynasties. I was hoping the author would include more material about the monarchs themselves - there is one paragraph devoted to King Peter I becoming King of Serbia in 1903 at the age of sixty and the problems he faced and I would have been interested to read more about the Serbian court at this time.

[Erazmo1986 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Možda i ne zaslužuje najvišu ocenu zbog nekih sitnih propusta u vezi istorijskih činjenica, ipak treba mu oprostiti iz više razloga, a jedan od najvažnijih je svakako vreme kada je pisao ovu knjigu(I svetski rat), samim tim teško je mogao doći do odgovarajuće građe. Dobro je procenio srpski mentalitet tog doba i s obzirom na njegove simpatije prema Srbima ja sam pomalo pristrasno ipak morao dati najvišu ocenu :)

[Beckett Javell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like it
very good book
Lots of History about the civilization

[Thom Dunn]

QUESTION: WHAT IS THE RELIGIOUS MAKE-UP OF SERBIA TODAY ? (2010)

[Glenn Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting historical account of the trials and tribulations of the brutal years of Serbia and the neighbors from 1912-1920 written soon after the era.