The book was highly acclaimed by many historians of the Balkans, including Traian Stoianovich and Mark Mazower.
After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he took a masters degree at New York University and received a doctorate from Université de Paris in 1952, where he became a major figure in the internationally influential Annales School of history.His doctoral mentor was Fernand Braudel.
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His daughter Diana Stoianovich married in 1986 to Charles H. Revson Jr., heir of Charles Revson and they have two sons, Charles H. Revson III and Alexander Traian Revson.