The Romanians: A History is the first comprehensive study of the Romanian people by a single author to be published in English since 1934. It was written without the fear of censorship and therefore earns the reader's trust with its straightforward tone, balanced views,and systematic approach to its subject. By contrast, the several multi-authored official histories of Romania found in larger research libraries in the United States are rendered suspect, particularly in their treatment of modern times and precisely because of their "official" stamp of approval.
Georgescu focuses on the Romanian people, examining not only ethnic communities from pre-Roman times to the present but also social structures, economics, and political institutions of the principalities inhabited by the Romanians at various stages of their historical development.
Originally published in Romanian in 1984,the text has been updated in an epilogue written by series editor Matei Calinescu and Vladimir Tismaneanu that describes events of the past decade, especially the 1989 revolution that deposed Ceausescu, and the sweeping changes now enveloping Eastern Europe.