SINCE THE END OF communist rule in Albania, the Balkan country has received more international attention than perhaps ever before. Yet, despite improved political, economic, and military cooperation with the West, the number of publications on the country has been small, and those books have appeared mainly in Europe. Both The Blue Guide and Albanien were published two years after the Democratic Party took power in the country, and they seek to give an overview of Albania’s history and to illustrate current conflicts.