A second edition containing a part of the collection of Milen Buzinski’s is already on the market.
There is also another, more different edition of this book dedicated to the 100-anniversary of the Balkan Wars. It doesn’t aim to clarify historical theses and reviews and it also doesn’t reject or opposes ideas. A book which task is not to reflect the war preparations or to show the fighting course and the consequences, it doesn’t reveal human fates.
The book is intended to show how the contemporaries of the wars for national union have perceived and appreciated the feat of the Bulgarian army and its commanders. How the war echo reaches the last Bulgarian village through postcards and photos from the battles. The tribute and the admiration of the Bulgarians paid to all those heroes who have fallen in the epic battles are presented especially vividly.
The Balkan wars are among the most impressive events in the history of the Bulgarian people These have been wars with lasting impression on the minds of the Bulgarians as that was an attempt to implement the national ideal inherited from the National Revival – the unification of all territories inhabited by Bulgarians in one unified and wholesome state. The Balkan wars show how a young country with a venerable historical tradition was reborn after 500 years of oppression and managed to unify itself. Thanks to the spirit and enthusiasm of this young nation with deep historical roots, the war will become the symbol of grandeur and glory. But this war will also be remembered for the betrayal by some neighbouring countries and the short-sighted policy of the Bulgarian statesmen who have forgotten real life.
In his book, the author Milen Buzinski shows his collection dedicated to the Bulgarian history. The collection contains more than 30,000 unique documents — postcards, photos, pictures, reports and orders, letters and telegrams, periodicals, advertising materials, autographs, etc.
This is the second edition which shows parts of the collection. In 2011, a unique collection of old postcards from Belogradchik was published. This material elicited the interest not only of the most passionate collectors but of all who are interested in the visual history of the town.
There are about 400 postcards and photos from the Balkan wars in this illustrated edition. The publication starts with archival illustrations from the declaration of the Independence of Bulgaria (1908) and traces the glorious traditions of the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885) , the training of the Bulgarian army and its commanders in peaceful times, and the life conditions in the barracks. Particularly interesting are the cards that display the weaponary and clothing of the Bulgarian soldiers. The drills of the infantry, the cavalary units and artillery units have also been presented. A whole chapter of the book has been dedicated to the Allies in the upcoming war.
A number of rare postcards show the Manifest for the Declaration of War. Another series of postcards and photographs reveal the national enthusiasm during the mobilization of the Bulgarian army and soldiers sent to the war front. With no claim to accurate chronology of events, the author enlists the first battle actions in Svilengrad, Kapitan Andreevo, Süleoğlu, Lozengrad. The siege of Edirne and the battles in the Rhodope mountains and in the region of the Aegean sea coast are also reflected in the book. The Pinarhisar and Chataldza attacks, the Truce from 1912, the Turkish prisoners and the honoring of the dead english soldiers can all be seen the postcards issued in this historical period. A special place in the book, with numerous and varied material, is devoted to the attack and the capture of the Edirne Fortress. That part of the collection ends with illustrations from the Second Balkan war and the return of the troops from the wars.
An interesting fact is that the cards from this period with one and the same plot and frame have been used by various publishers of postcards. There are some texts written by the soldiers and the officers from the battle front.
While preparing his book, the author has set the explanatory notes to a minimum at the expense of the maximum visual representation. The goal has been not to write the history of the Balkan war but to show the wars through the eyes of their contemporaries. The text in the publication is mostly the original authentic text on the cards and the photographs ( that is why, some of the fighting, the villages and the locations have been spelled differently).
The author says that one of the reasons for the publication of the volume has been the inscription on a plaque in Belogradchik bearing the words: “Let the future generations know…”
Some unknown photographs and documents from the collection will be published in some next editions.
