Issued in 1929, this was the first major publication by this very distinguished historian of the Balkans and Mediterranean areas. The biography gives the author a chance to survey the interaction of the Byzantine, Balkan, and Islamic worlds and is a good attempt at revealing the complexity of their interactions in this period. Romanus comes through as a man who did seize power from a ruling family, but also as a person whose motives were relatively high minded for such an act. His achievements in that position were considerable though relatively defensive. Sir Stephen's prose began at a high level of competence. ( )