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Rating: 
Summary: good information on sites
Review: I am a devoted academic researcher on Albanian culture and this is the best guide book out on the market that offers wonderful information on travel into Albania and Kosovo. This guide book not only has useful information on travel conditions and the best way to explore the area, but it also has some wonderful information regarding the culture and history of the Albanian nation. This book is a must have for anyone that is interested in travelling to this culturally complex region in the Balkans. This book is the first thing that I am taking with me when I set off to travel to Shqiperia and Shqiperia e Madhe (Albania and Greater Albania). It is a shame that Lonely Planet has not produced a guide book into this part of the world. It would be fantastic if they did. For the meantime this Blues Guide has everything you need to make your trip into the region a successful and productive one.
Rating: 
Summary: A must have!
Review: I am a devoted academic researcher on Albanian culture and this is the best guide book out on the market that offers wonderful information on travel into Albania and Kosovo. This guide book not only has useful information on travel conditions and the best way to explore the area, but it also has some wonderful information regarding the culture and history of the Albanian nation. This book is a must have for anyone that is interested in travelling to this culturally complex region in the Balkans. This book is the first thing that I am taking with me when I set off to travel to Shqiperia and Shqiperia e Madhe (Albania and Greater Albania). It is a shame that Lonely Planet has not produced a guide book into this part of the world. It would be fantastic if they did. For the meantime this Blues Guide has everything you need to make your trip into the region a successful and productive one.
Rating: 
Summary: albanian propaganda!
Review: I bought this book because it is the only one on the market these days in a western language. What a pity the editors of Blue Guide debased themselves to edit such a one-sided and partisan work.
Not only does it make no difference between Albania itself and the (now thoroughly ethnically cleansed) NATO-protectorate of the Serbian province of Kosovo; even part of Macedonia are, without commentary, included as part of Greater Albania, and the book even includes a map of "ethnic Albania" including parts of Montenegro, Serbia itself and Greece (even Corfu!).
Now I understand why other guidebook producers such as Lonely Planet did not undertake to make a book about Albania.
As the author often points out himself, only the commitment to the "Albanian cause" in this book is important.
I suppose the next step of BLue Guide will be some books about Libya by M. Ghaddafi, or about Palestine by A. Sharon!
Rating:
Summary: buy Blue Guide for history rather than travel
Review: I found this book in the bookstores in Albania in both English and Albnanian versions. As is typical of the Blue Guide publications, it is geared more toward a historical rather than travel context.
It is somewhat 'dated' because Albania has developed quite a bit since 2000. Roads and accomodations are improving. Even Internet cafes can be had in most of the cities, although inconsistent power is still a problem in many areas.
Now that Gillian Gloyer's guide is available, I would recommend buying it instead since it is better as a travel resource.
Rating:
Summary: This book was extremely useful...
Review: Ignore what that last person said; this is by far the most detailed guidebook available in the english language to both political entities. I found it obsessed a little too much with every little ramshackle mosque and ruin that exists, but overdetailing is better than underdetailing.I do understand that this author has taken a bold step by writing a guidebook not so much about countries but about ethnic Albanian settlements - there is also information of visiting Albanian majority towns in northern Macedonia. The book is definitely -not- propaganda. Nor is Kosovo completely bereft of Serbs, and the author points that out. It's a surprising book to see, given that tourist interest in the region is next to nil - which is why the big boys like Lonely Planet have only a tiny sliver of information regarding Albania in their books(which basically sums up to "Don't Go."). Kudos for making a bold political statement, but I doubt this book is going to sell many copies - there just isn't a market for this book, really. Except with the expats posted to Kosovo, but there's a UN book they're all given for that purpose.......
Rating:
Summary: Exploring the southern Balkans
Review: James Pettifer has written a fascinating guide to the Albanian speaking areas of the southern Balkans, which will be invaluable to anyone living and working in the area. The format, which follows language and ethnicity rather than the present day borders is unusual, but this should not put anyone off buying this very detailed guide to the wealth of antiquities in the area.
Rating:
Summary: good information on sites
Review: The details given in the book on the sites to visit are very good and detailed. A good addition would be more maps that show how to get there, since there are normally no sign and if you don't have a local tour guide or driver, it's difficult to find. The recommendations for hotels and restaurants could be better. Overall, a good book to travel around in Albania and it has been very helpful to me. The writer seems to have a good knowledge of the sites.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resouce - Extremely Highly Recommended
Review: This author is to be congratulated on an absolutely masterful work! This is a fantastic book that is crammed full of useful travel, as well as historical information to an almost unbelievable degree. If this guide book had been written in a less condensed format it would easily have ended up being twice as long. I noticed that during my travels in southern Albania, the author seemed to have ethnic and historical information on villages so small that they didn't exist even on the most detailed maps that I was able to purchase. On that basis, I would recommend this book even for those not contemplating a trip to Albania, as it provides for many hours of interesting reading for those just wanting to learn more about the culture and history of the region. Although the author's approach of writing a guidebook which includes all areas of historic Albanian inhabitation (Kosovo, Northern Greece, and Western Macedonia) rather than just the present day country is somewhat unusual, he does the reader a great service as many visitors to Albania entering from these adjacent regions are provided with detailed information which is usually lacking in other guidebooks (i.e. Guidebooks on Greece have little, if any information on regions around the Albanian border areas). I would not contemplate travel to Albania without this publication!
Rating: 
Summary: Ivory Tower travel guide!
Review: This reminds me of one of those coffee table books people used to buy because they felt they ought. a) because it is the only guide on the market
b) because every other traveller seems to have one
c) it looks nice Whether it suits its purpose is quite another matter. Put simply if you're into history in a big way and really want to take on the Albanian cause then this will be indispensible. If you want an up to date guide to the actual practical information the book is almost useless. First, it is clear the author had a lot of help on the way from prearranged contacts eager to be in the book and second the author obviously had a car and I would hazard a guess a driver (at the cost of the Blue Guide). Lonely Planet/Rough Guide this is not. Which traveller/backpacker is going to hire cars or stay in the Rogner International Hotel in Tirane? This is in essence an `ivory tower` travel guide. For instance, we didn't stay in any hotel mentioned in the guide as,apart from one, were all new and excellent (could teach the Greeks a few lessons!). You don't need to be told of the state of the roads as in the book as you will be on the bus experiencing this at 40 bumps a minute. What you do need is up to date info on the LATEST accommodation, a lot more maps (particularly of Gjirokaster) and the maps that are there reviewed for correctness. You also need a more practical Albanian Language section to go with your dictionary than the one in this guide. Also useful would be a guide to Corfu as this will be a booming crossing point in years to come. If you are going to Albania and feel you MUST have a guide book and/or seriously interested in going into every historical/archealogical nook or cranny then by all means buy it. If nto stay away.
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