The present volume endeavours to throw light on a corner of Europe which is often ignored by historians. The book is not a history of early Albania, but rather a collection of important historical documents and texts from the 11th to the 17th centuries, which will add to an understanding of the early history and development of Albania and its people. The vast majority of these works has never been published in English before. The first section of the book focusses on the emergence of the Albanians as a people and provides the reader with the earliest documents which make reference to them. The second, and main section of the volume provides a broader view of history and geography and, in particular, of life in Albania from the 12th to the 17th centuries. It relies primarily on the reports of travellers and chroniclers, many of whom offer fascinating, firsthand information on what they saw and experienced during their travels in the country.