In it, he noted that Albert Silbert was "no stranger to research into the history of Portugal," as he had long been dedicated to "Portuguese rural history, a field deserted by our historiography to which he courageously devoted himself" (Jorge de Macedo, "Chartisme et Septembrisme...", by Albert Silbert, Read: Jornal de Letras, Artes e Ciências , Issue 19, October 1953, p. 3).

The 1950s also saw the publication of a historiographical essay on the island of Madeira that remains unique in its approach. This important essay examines Madeiran trade over the long term, from 1640 to 1822, analysing its role in Atlantic commerce by tracing the routes and traffic linked to its production cycles—from sugarcane to wine. It also explores Madeira's unstable economic relationship with the Portuguese mainland. Originally published in French in 1954 by Império [Empire], the essay was reprinted twice after Silbert’s death in the 1990s ( Uma encruzilhada do Atlântico, Madeira [A crossroads of the Atlantic, Madeira] (1640-1820) , 1997). Without a doubt, however, the visibility of Albert Silbert’s work in Portugal grew significantly after the publication of Le Portugal Méditerranéen and Le problème Agraire Portugais , respectively, in 1966 and 1968. These two major works, particularly the former—a monumental thesis of some 1,200 pages to which he devoted many years of his life—became essential references in Portuguese historiography. While their impact in Portugal has been widely recognised, their reception in France also merits attention. The first academic response to Le Portugal Méditerranéen came from outside Portugal, in the form of a critical review by Frédéric Mauro, published in the Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire (Review of Albert Silbert , Le Portugal Méditerranéen. Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, 1967, vol. 45, Issue 2, pp. 551–555). Mauro’s review reflects a careful reading by a scholar well-versed in Portuguese history, recognising the innovative nature of Silbert's work and situating it within the context of post-war French historiographical trends. Mauro’s opening remarks are particularly illuminating: "After the war, each of the great theses published in France is valuable both for the knowledge it adds to our understanding of the past and for the renewal it brings to research methods. Albert Silbert's book is no exception" ( Idem , p. 551). Mauro proceeds to analyse the book in detail, praising its maturity, the exhaustive and "deeply considered" bibliography, and the deliberate nature of its methodology. He notes that while Silbert’s approach parallels those of historians like Braudel and Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, it remains distinct. Mauro also draws comparisons to Marc Bloch’s Caractères originaux de l’histoire rurale française , highlighting the comparatively "more geographical" character of Silbert’s work. This geographical emphasis leads Mauro to evoke the influence of Orlando Ribeiro, whose geographical studies informed many of Silbert’s analyses. Silbert’s sensitivity to economic conditions and his ability to assess their impact on structural changes in the economy and society—particularly evident in his analysis of the Alentejo—reflect the depth of his historical approach. Mauro also discusses the challenges posed by the scarcity of statistical sources in Portuguese archives. He notes that while quantitative economic history is relatively absent from Silbert’s book, his qualitative exploration, inspired by geography and supported by fragmented "partial information, incomplete tables, and scattered figures," nonetheless provides "an approximate, serious idea of the quantities."

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