During our visit among the Arbëreshë in Calabria, we were shown a volume of the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini. The short video and its caption introduced it as the first edition from 1933. The image above comes from that recording.
That is what the social post documents: a book being shown during the visit, with that description. The recording alone does not authenticate the physical copy’s edition or provenance.
What the year 1933 refers to
The University of Texas Linguistics Research Center dates the publication of Shtjefën Gjeçovi’s collection to 1933, after his death. He collected and organised customary rules that had previously circulated orally.
The publication date therefore should not be mistaken for the beginning of those customs. Nor does the short clip allow us to establish the age of the traditions themselves.
The book is one specific detail from a visit I have written about more fully. Keeping that detail precise matters: we can share what we were shown, explain the documented publication history and leave questions about the particular copy open.
The wider visit: three hours in the library of Papas Antonio Bellusci
Original social post · 2026-10-13
