Sofia-based US historian’s book on First Bulgarian Empire to be published in October
A sweeping, highly readable new book “State Builders from the Steppe – A history of the First Bulgarian Empire”, authored by Sofia-based historian Eric Halsey, is set for publication in October 2025.
Halsey, a graduate of the University of Mary Washington and of Central European University and a long-time resident of Bulgaria who first came to the country as a Fulbright Scholar, is well-known for The Bulgarian History Podcast – a project in which he has produced 237 episodes over 12 years and which has attracted well more than a million listens.
The book is the first in English to cover the subject matter – an empire that existed from the seventh to the 11th centuries CE – in close to 100 years.
In his introduction to the book, Halsey writes: “I felt it was inexcusable that no book covering the entire history of the First Bulgarian Empire in English had been published in nearly a century”.
“It also felt like a terrible waste to know that visitors to Bulgaria’s most important historical sites wouldn’t find a book like this one that could really take them through the country’s early history in an accessible way.”
State Builders from the Steppe was written for casual history fans and historians alike to learn why the First Bulgarian Empire was so instrumental in European history.
The book, Halsey says, aims to help popularize Bulgaria’s remarkable and comparatively little-known history. There is a section at the end of the book with a list of places where you can find artifacts of this long-vanished empire.
The history of the First Bulgarian Empire is full of high drama, intrigue, and intense fights over everything from mountain passes to culture itself. Over the course of 337 years, the Proto-Bulgarians evolved from a steppe tribe with unclear origins into a powerful empire that dominated southeastern Europe.
At the end of this 337 year history, Bulgaria had a different language, religion, ethnic makeup, and culture. This newly forged Bulgarian identity and culture set the foundation for Slavic language and culture while also creating an identity that has survived for over a millennia.
In an article on the Thisisbulgaria.org website, headlined Why Bulgaria’s History Deserves More Than Footnotes, Halsey writes: “Time and time again, the First and Second Bulgarian Empires played major roles in events like the Crusades, the spread of Christianity and literacy to the Slavs of the Balkans, and even the decline of the Byzantine Empire”.
Photo: Vanya Halsey
For Halsey, it was important that the book be academically rigorous as well as highly readable.
“For everyone from tourists wanting to learn more about Bulgaria to history students writing about early medieval Europe, a comprehensive history of the First Bulgarian Empire will enhance their knowledge and, I hope, grab their attention as it has mine. The Bulgarian people deserve nothing less.”
State Builders from the Steppe – A history of the First Bulgarian Empire is published by This Is Rethink Ltd, Plovdiv, 2025. To sign up to be notified when the book is available: https://thisisbulgaria.org/state-suilders-from-the-steppe/
