This book, edited and translated by Robert Elsie, is about Nopcsa's memoirs 1903–14 in relation to his Albanological work, Albania, and the Albanians. After Elsie's introduction, the memoirs are divided into four parts: initial travels (1903–4); research in Albania (1905–10); between the annexation and the Balkan War (1910–12); and from the Balkan War to World War I (1912–14). A rich bibliography, especially of Nopcsa's scholarly work, is given at the end. Its one notable omission is the standard work about Austro-Hungarian Albanology and the relationship between Albanology and policy in the Dual Monarchy (Kurt Gostentschnigg, ”Zwischen Wissenschaft und Politik: Die österreichisch-ungarische Albanologie, 1867–1918.” PhD diss., University of Graz, 1996).

Elsie's introduction puts Nopcsa's memoirs in the wider context both of his biography and scholarly work and of the broader history of the Balkans and the imperial policy of Austria-Hungary. As a result, readers learn, for instance, about his problematic relationship with the foreign ministry in Vienna, the reasons for his suicide, and the different fields of his scholarly work, like paleontology, geology, and Albanian Studies. Within this last field, he focused on the fields of prehistory, early Balkan history, ethnology, geography, modern history, and Albanian customary law.

Part I of the memoirs covers the first contacts of the young Nopcsa with Albania and the Albanians. From the very beginning he gained, and later proved, his reputation as a good shot (4). His early interest in politics is shown by his interpretation of the good relations between the Austro-Hungarian consular representative in Skopje and the Bektashi sheikh in Prizren as the Austro-Hungarian government's use of these people to promote Albanian nationalism among the Muslim Albanians (9).

Part II is about his first research travels filled with “exotic” experiences, like becoming a probatim (blood brother) and kumbara (godfather), and adventures like the crucial scene with rifles pointing at each other, important for his prestige in the eyes of the highlanders (17–18), and the history of buying the church door in Vela (20–22). The success of his research ventures depended not only on respect, honor, and courage, but also on bakshish (tips) and the goodwill of the local authorities—vali (civil governor), mutasarrif (provincial governor), and kaimakam (deputy governor)—who insisted on identity papers, letters of recommendation, and police escorts.

In part III we find, for example, interesting detailed information about Nopcsa's connections, friendships, and animosities both within the political hierarchy as well as among the different fields of politics, the military, and Albanology. In his letter from 10 February 1909 to Karl Freiherr von Macchio, Balkan expert at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vienna, Nopcsa complained about the delay of the arms supply in connection with the so-called Albania Action against Montenegro during the Annexation Crisis, in which Nopcsa played a crucial role, and threatened to end his cooperation (62–63). This was the reason for the opposition to him of the leading circle at the Ballhausplatz. After that, Nopcsa and August Ritter von Kral, consul general in Shkodra, were permanently confronted with the influential camp around Macchio, Alfred Rappaport von Arbengau, specialist for Albanian affairs at the Foreign Ministry, Adolf Ritter von Zambaur, vice-consul and Kral's successor in Shkodra, and Gjergj Pekmezi, an Albanian linguist employed by the Foreign Ministry (82–83).

Part IV provides, inter alia, valuable insights into the foundation of the Albanian Committee of 1913 (152–53); Nopcsa's participation in the Albanian Congress of Trieste in 1913 (153–62); his candidacy for the Albanian throne in 1913 (162–63); the murder of his friend and highland leader Gjeta Zogu in his presence (168–69); Nopcsa's leading role in appointing the governor of Lezha (170–71); and his dangerous contribution to the Albania Action in 1914 against Montenegro and Serbia (191–202).

Several major contributions elucidating Nopsca's life and work have appeared within the past century. András Tasnádi Kubacska took the first step in this direction with his Hungarian publication Nopcsa Ferenc kalandos élete (Budapest, 1937) and the German Franz Baron Nopcsa (Budapest 1945), which acknowledged Nopcsa above all as a natural scientist. Next, Gert Robel penned the German publication Franz Baron Nopcsa und Albanien, ein Beitrag zu Nopcsas Biographie (Wiesbaden, 1966) with a critical evaluation of Nopcsa not only as an Albania researcher, but also as a political figure. The third notable contribution came from Elsie, with the publication as Reisen in den Balkan: Die Lebenserinnerungen des Franz Baron Nopcsa (Peja 2001) of Nopcsa's original German memoir manuscript (Seria nova 9368 at the Austrian National Library). Finally, our knowledge of Nopcsa is augmented again by Elsie with this partial English translation of that manuscript in order to make the adventurous memoirs of the best northern Albania expert of his time accessible also for non-German-speaking readers.