Interest in particularly in German language written historical texts from the 19th century was already in the time after World War II unpretentious, and it has decreased in recent time. Among in the 19th century issued historical publications dealing with Slovene history were undoubtedly works that not only carried documentary but as well professional-informative significance and are still an interesting mirror of the then historical horizon. One such work is the book by Josip Šuman and co-workers Die Slovenen, which was published in 1881 in the series Nations of Austria-Hungary by the Czech-Viennese publisher Karl Prochaska. The article presents the series Nations of Austria-Hungary, Šuman’s book, and critical responses to it.