Randall Baker, a Fulbright Scholar in Bulgaria during 1992 has published a diary of his experience in Summer in the Balkans: Laughter and Tears after Communism (West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press, 1994). Baker's account of coping with Bulgarian daily life, officialdom, and the local economy will be read with profit by anyone preparing for an extended visit to the country.
On the Loose in Eastern Europe: Berkely Guide's Budget Traveler's Handbook (New York: Fodor's Travel Publications, 1992) features suggestions for getting "off the beaten path" along with basic travel information. In Jim Haynes, ed., People to People Guide: Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria (Boston: Zephyr Press, 1993) includes the names, addresses, hobbies, and interests of local citizens willing to meet with foreign visitors. Fodor's Eastern Europe is updated annually.
Guides devoted especially to Bulgaria include Philip Ward, Bulgaria: A Travel Guide (New York: Oleander Press, 1991) and the same author's Sofia: Portrait of a City (New York: Oleander Press, 1993). The prospective visitor might also wish to investigate Bulgaria in Pictures (New York: Sterling Publishers, 1994) for its extensive coverage of Bulgaria's landscape, historic sites, resorts, and cities.
