Reviews (1)

The Cost of Ethnic Cleansing
This is the best book I have read on the tragic Greek-Turkish "population exchange" of the 1920s. I found the book remarkable for several reasons: One is its organization. Chapters alternate between diplomatic history and human suffering stories, many of them based on interviews with survivors of that era. This has a powerful effect on the reader who sees how people were dying while "diplomats talked." Another is its fairness in discussing the responsibilities of each side. (The official Greek and Turkish positions place all the blame on the other side.) And finally the coverage of the suffering of the Muslims that were sent from Greece to Turkey as part of the "exchange." As the books states on p. 161 "In most cases, the fate of these migrants was not as terrible as that of the Anatolian Christians who fled either in the heat of war, or as a result of forced marches followed by forced embarkations on ships riddled with disease; but the Muslim exodus was bad enough."
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Subjects:  1. Emigration & Immigration    2. Europe - Greece    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Middle East - Turkey    7. Military - World War I    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. History / Modern / 20th Century   

Reviews (23)

Could not put this book down!
I lost sleep because of this book, LOL! Crowley packs his history of this important event with so much information that one gains a very clear impression of what transpired, as if from a bird's eye view. One gains as well a strong sense of the personalities of both Mehmet II and Constantine XI, as well as those of other key persons.
An amazing book from a modern Herodotus
Roger Crowley's amazing feat truly stands as a modern testament to great historical writing. Many of the other reviewers have already emphasized the lucid, insightful, and verily entertaining writing. Crowley handles his source material not just even-handedly and scientifically (like a historian should), but even artistically, making this not just great history but a great read as well! As Crowley himself puts it, his aim was "to capture the sound of human voices - to reproduce the words, prejudices, hopes, and fears of the protagonists firsthand - and to tell something of 'the story of the story'" (page 263 in the hardcover edition). Sharing "the story of the story" with their readers is something that, alas, many scholars omit in favor of dry lists of facts and analysis. Crowley transports the reader into a lost, forgotten world, resurrecting the past from the dust and ashes of time and space to speak vividly and directly for new generations.
The strategy of war in 1453
I enjoyed this book, and learned from it as well. The description of the siege was excellent: sufficient detail to provide context, not so much detail that the tempo was lost.
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Subjects:  1. East and West    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Islam and world politics    7. Istanbul (Turkey)    8. Medieval    9. Middle East - Turkey    10. Siege, 1453    11. History / Middle East   

Reviews (31)

A sublime account of the demise of the "Greek emperor" and the fall of his city
Exceedingly well written and utterly fascinating, Sir James Stevenson Runciman's classic account of the siege and fall of Constantinople manages to be thoroughly academically sound and highly entertaining at the same time. Steven Runciman doesn't just deliver the dry facts, which would be alright, no, he tells the story, which is much better. And he does it without forefeiting historical accuracy, and, blessedly, without drawing any politically motivated parallels to "modern" conflicts, be they religious, or political, or both.
strongly recommended
I strongly suggest to buy and read this book to all people interested in history in general.
Probably very good
I have not yet received this book from Amazon, so it is a little difficult to say what it is like. But I am sure it will be at least very good.Runciman is an excellent author. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Byzantine Empire - History    2. Europe - Greece    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Istanbul (Turkey)    7. Middle East - Turkey    8. Reference    9. Siege, 1453    10. Byzantine Empire    11. Europe    12. European history: c 500 to c 1500    13. History / Middle East    14. Istanbul (Turkey)--History--Siege, 1453    15. c 1500 to c 1600   

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Reviews (3)

Highly recommended
Professor Inalcik is one of the best in documenting the long history of the Ottoman Empire. To many readers, this book might look boring and excessively academic. But to other readers, especially those who are interested in taking a deep look into the history of the Middle East in general and the Ottoman Empire in particular, this is one of the must-read books.
Historians take note...
...this is how a text should read. Inalcik is not only thorough in his presentation of Ottoman history, but he includes cause and effect as well as the synthesis of events, something that Stanford J. Shaw's text on the Ottoman Empire seemed to be bereft of. Highly recommended.

Phoenix: The Ottoman Empire: A classical Book
Prof. Inalcik truly earns the reputation as one of the world's leading historians on the Ottoman Empire. The book explains the history, administration and social life of the Ottoman Empire during this time masterfully in seperate sections. An appendix of terms in Turkish and Ottoman is provided at the back for quick explanations, since the historical matter is rather heavy for a lay person.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1288-1453    2. 1453-1683    3. Eastern Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - Turkey    8. Turkey    9. ASIA    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    11. History / Europe / Eastern    12. History / Middle East    13. Ottoman Empire    14. STUDY NOTES - SparkNotes    15. TURKEY_HISTORY    16. c 1500 to c 1600   

Reviews (33)

Good bio of incredibly interesting man
Ataturk is an amazing man, both for what he accomplished and for his creation of the modern Turkish state. The book does a good job of taking you through what Ataturk did, how he accomplished it, and the changes he wrought to create Turkey from the remains of the Ottoman empire.
a must read for ppl interested in the history of Turkey
Andrew Mango's "Ataturk" is a thorough depiction of Ataturk's life and the circumstances in which it was shaped. While reading this book you will feel that the author did a substantial research on the subject.

Ataturk I The Founder of Modern Turkey
Mr. Mango outdid himself. Excellent book. Well researched, well written, easily readable. Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - General    5. Literary    6. Middle East - Turkey    7. Business & Economics / Motivational   

Reviews (13)

Authoritative History of Modern Turkey
It's a little dry at times, but this is a well-written, scholarly history of the development of modern Tukey, focusing primarily uponthe late Ottoman period and going into revolutionary and modern Turkey.

Not Bad
For the student of history the making of modern Turkey is an extraordinary phenomenon that poses a difficult question:how did the Ottoman Empire, an ancient Islamic empire based on theocracy, become the Republic of Turkey, a democratic nation state that is dogmatically devoted to laicism.In the five hundred pages of the Emergence of Modern Turkey, Bernard Lewis tackles this problem (not in the way I formulated it) in terms of causality-why it happened-and process-how it happened.
Outdated
This book was long considered the classic description of the recent history of Turkey.The author has a beautiful writing style, and the book is a pleasure to read.It is by now fairly outdated, however, and the more recent history of Turkey provides reason to question some of Lewis's assumptions.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - Turkey    6. Turkey    7. World - General    8. ASIA    9. Asian / Middle Eastern history    10. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    11. History / Middle East    12. History, World | Middle Eastern   

Reviews (16)

Well researched, but almost too much detail
The author obviously spent a lot of time researching this book. Incredible detail. But where are the maps??? Not a single map of the battle or even the surrounding area in detail. I think some authors avoid maps because they fear someone will come back and point out a wrong detail. But if the reader is left with little understanding of the battle, what's the point of the book?Some general plot lines of the Japanese strikes with times would have been helpful.
Absorbing narrative of the Fast Carrier Task Force's finest hour
Judging by the energy of his prose, depth of his research, and infectious enthuasim for naval aviation, I might guess that Barrett Tillman goes to bed at night thinking about Helldivers plummeting on Japanese cruisers and wakes thinking about Avengers down on the deck, making anvil attacks on swerving Imperial aircraft carriers. In CLASH OF THE CARRIERS, which narrates the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, the largest naval air battle of all time, his energy, depth and expertise are all much needed. The sweeping scope of this great collision of fleets would cause a lesser writer to lose his grasp on the story.
Historical play by play
While the author provides us with some interesting new information about this action, it is presented like a sports announcer's play by play. If you like sound bites, you will love this book. Some might appreciate the frequent use of naval slang; but the constant reference to the graduation class of every naval officer mentioned, no matter how briefly, is annoying and distracting. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aerial operations, American    2. History    3. History - Military / War    4. Military    5. Military - Aviation    6. Military - Naval    7. Military - World War II    8. Naval Operations    9. Naval operations, American    10. Philippine Sea, Battle of the, 1944 (June 19-21)    11. World War II - East Asia    12. World War, 1939-1945    13. History / Military / World War II   

Reviews (3)

Decent, but not great
Kevin McKiernan's "the Kurds: A People in Search of Their Homeland" was decent but not great.McKiernan had spent many months in Iraq and Turkey with the Kurds and definitely has good political connections among the Kurds.He had interviewed Ocalan as well as other prominent Iraqi Kurd politicians.
the truth and the courage to talk about it
this book deserves kudos and nothing else. the fact is, mckiernan has spent several decades researching the kurds' story "in the field" inside turkey and he has had the courage to write about the truth, an unsettling truth for those of us who honor human and cultural rights. do not believe the turkish government and military forces, and what is said for example in the review by oki oki on this book. that is all sheer propaganda, exactly what the usa and turkey want the world to believe. i encourage all to read this book and think about it profoundly. it speaks the truth.

It was for real
I always wondered if the Turkish Army really burned Kurdish villages and killed innocent Kurdish people. Many of my friends in college told me that it was for real and that they "heard" a "real" story from one of their friends. Then I joined the Turkish Army and became a team commander leading an infantry commando team in the heart of the region. I visited more than 100 Kurdish villages only to help the Kurdish people there giving them clothes, trees, and food. I took injured Kurdish men and women to a Military Hospital after they got shot by the PKK militants. Then I always wondered why in the US people say that the Turkish Army kills Kurdish people and burns Kurdish villages. The answer I came up with was they "heard" it from one of their friends and it was for "real".
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Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - General    2. Ethnic identity    3. History - General History    4. Iraq    5. Kurds    6. Middle East - General    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Turkey   

Reviews (81)

Turkey
Writer in general tries to be neutral in his views but did not divert himself from prejudgment, tales and fabrications regarding the Armenian allegations.

Enjoyable, but a little heavy on the preaching.
This is a very interesting book, which should be read by anyone who is interested in Turkish culture.However, it gives a very narrow view of this culture and the political situation.Kinzer does a very good job of presenting what is happening in Turkey, but his endless preaching does get a little old.Other than that, I truely enjoyed this book.

Insightful Perspectives on Modern Turkey
Kinzer's book provides some excellent insight into the modern world of Turkey in addition to some fun mezes into Turkish culture. His review of the country is in-depth and his perspective is enhanced by actually talking with locals on the street. Here's a man who loves the Turks and wants the best for them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Civil society    3. Current Affairs    4. Ethnic relations    5. History    6. International Relations - General    7. Political    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics and government    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Turkey   

Reviews (24)

For Readers interested in the Crusades & Medieval Times
At first it wasn't what I had hoped for.I would have preferred more/better graphics.If you're somewhat knowledgeable about the Crusades you might like it but it's not for a first time read.Check around.

Good pace, excellent clarity
Religion, politics, murder, betrayal, intrigue, and war... in the early 13th century!Phillips keeps what was a rather complicated and messy affair well-organized with his writing, and follows the Crusaders on what was supposed to be a trip from all points in Europe to Jerusalem.It wound up in Constantinople, where Catholic Christians, who were supposed to be fighting the Muslims in the Holy Land were detoured by political expediency to attack fellow Catholics at Zara and fellow Christians in Constantinople.This book has something of a hidden message in that it shows how religious fanaticism mixed with politics can have disastrous results.It reads equally well as a history or a bit of an allegory to any other sort of political-religious axis in recent history.

Friendly fire.... Crusade style!
The Crusades between the Christians and Muslims wrecked havoc on the populations of the Middle East; this fact is undoubted.But what is often missed, but is just as important, is the effect it had on the various European and Muslim countries at that time which contributed to it either in providing men or supplies, or whose lands lay along the path of armies.This book fills in some of this neglected history by examining the history of the 4th Crusade.
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Subjects:  1. Crusades    2. Europe - Greece    3. Fourth, 1202-1204    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Istanbul (Turkey)    8. Medieval    9. Medieval World History (Circa 450 - Circa 1450)    10. Siege, 1203-1204    11. History / General   

Reviews (39)

Full of contradictions and inaccurate facts
My current field of research is the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. I thought it would be a good idea to read about some of the ancient history in the region though so I read John Julius Norwich's A Short History of Byzantium as well as his History of Venice. Both excellent works. Then I read Lord Kindross' work, Ottoman Centuries. This was my first historical work that I have read devoted entirely to the Ottoman Empire.
Ottoman Centuries
Superbly written. Excellent overwiew of the Ottoman Empire, in such a short space.It may not reflect some of the newly uncovered facts, but so what.
East Meets West: Epic Film Material Waiting To Be Born!
Lord Kinross was the author of many splendid books but The Ottoman Centuries remains his crowning achievement. Published in 1977 shortly after his death and dedicated to Freya Stark, The Ottoman Centuries offers a positive view of the Turkish Empire without glossing over any of its shameful episodes.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Baltic States    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918    7. Renaissance    8. Turkey    9. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    10. History / Middle East   

Reviews (2)

Good Introduction to Topic
Quartert provides a broad sociological history of the modern Ottoman empire.For someone who knows very little about the Ottoman empire it provided a good flavor of the cultural and socio-economic make-up of the Ottomans.While the book is academic it is very well written, organized, and very assessable to the general reader. Great Introduction into the Ottoman History
This book is one of the best if not the best as an introduction into the Ottoman history. Although the period Prof. Quataert focuses is from the 18th till the first quarter of the 20th century, the first three chapters are created as an introduction to the Ottoman Empire until 1700. Overall the book is very strong in historical analysis on an introductory level.At the end of each chapter Prof. Quataert offers a list of related readings, which makes this book a great resource for advanced students of Ottoman history as well. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 18th century    2. 19th century    3. 20th century    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - Turkey    9. Turkey    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 1500 to c 1900    11. Europe    12. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    13. History / Middle East    14. Middle East   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Christianity - History - General    3. Early Church (To 476)    4. History: World    5. Religion - Church History    6. Scholasticus,    7. Socrates,    8. ca. 379-ca. 440    9. Biography: general    10. Christianity    11. History / Ancient / Greece    12. Socrates    13. Turkey   

Reviews (8)

A counter to Dr. Bouchard's poor review.
This work was not intended to bring to the forefront a great debate over the Armenian Question, Dr. Bouchard! The purpose of this work is to cover an extensive period of Ottoman history in a small amount of pages, and I think it is presented well. Merely rejecting the words of Dr. Shaw based upon such a narrow, controversial topic as the Armenian Question is not being true to the people who want solid reviews.
Excellent history
Thorough and accurate; a solidly impressive look at a historical area much neglected in the west.
Ugh, painful
Professor Shaw is certainly not starved for thoroughness in presenting the rise and fall of the Ottoman state. But what this text boils down to is something that Herman Melville would have penned had he been a scholar in Turkish history. Piling on fact after fact after fact is not conducive to a worthwhile learning experience. You would need more than two hands to count how many times I flung this text against the wall, and I consider myself to be *very* patient. Luckily, there are alternatives available. Halil Inalcik does a much more lucid job--his book is the one to get. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1918-1960    2. 1960-    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Middle East - General    7. Middle East - Turkey    8. Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918    9. Turkey    10. ASIA    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history    12. History / Middle East    13. Modern period, c 1500 onwards    14. Turkey - History - Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918   

Reviews (2)

Remarkable masterpiece
Murphey should get an astounding applause for his work. There is an incredible appeal that 'drains' you right into the pages of endless original arguments. The Ottoman Devlet (not Empire if you read the book carefully, I borrowed Maksudoglu terms for the Ottoman) finally received afair judgement for their history. The research was acurately done with raredetails, those which never surfaced before, which cleared out any pontlesssubjectivity mostly found on previous studies of the Ottomans. 'The sickman' was made 'sick' in the first place. Best study of Ottoman warfare in print
Rhoads Murphey clears up a lot of mystification brought into the subject by authors who previously relied solely upon Western sources for understanding the Ottoman state. Some, for example, would talk about theOttoman Empire as the perfect military state, designed around conquest, andothers, thinking more of Ottoman decline, of the corruption, inefficiency,and lack of technical skill of their forces. Yet, a study of Ottomanhistory reveals, naturally, that neither of these extremes were true, andthat the Ottomans had to contend with many of the same difficulties,military and administrative, that all of the western European states wereattempting to overcome. For someone who really wants to learn how theOttomans achieved what the did, and failed to achieve some of their moreambitious goals, this book is refreshing in that it teaches rather thanobscures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. 17th century    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History, Military    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. Middle East - Turkey    9. Military - General    10. Military - Other    11. Military art and science    12. Turkey    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history    14. Middle East    15. Other warfare & defence issues    16. World history   

Reviews (2)

Late Ottoman Attempts at Survival
This book boils down to an examination of the aims of the Committe for Union and Progress after the end of the reign of Abd�lhamid and the second constitutional experiment--all of which embody the last ditch efforts to revive the moribund sick man of Europe.As the title connotes, this is done with a particular emphasis on how the CUP/Young Turks viewed the Arab provinces; therefore, issues surrounding the turkification (better: centralization) of the late Ottoman empire and its relation vis a vis nascent Arabism and fading Ottomanism. Great Book
It's really hard to find books about this subject. If you are really interested, i recommend you to read this book.(not: kitab�n t�rk�esi tarih vakf� yay�nlar�ndan �ok daha ucuza temin edilebilir.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1909-1918    2. Arab countries    3. Foreign relations    4. History - General History    5. International Relations - General    6. Middle East - General    7. Political Science    8. Politics and government    9. Reference    10. Turkey    11. Asian / Middle Eastern history    12. First World War, 1914-1918    13. History / General    14. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    15. Islamic studies    16. Middle East    17. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (33)

Heart Wrenching Story
Since I am a descendant of survivors of the Armenian genocide in Turkey, the story of Vergeen has tremendous meaning to me.The Armenian genocide had forever changed the complexion of my ancestors' lives in both my mother's and father's families.It's a miracle I am here today since both sides of my family witnessed and experienced such atrocities.
The Best Book You Could Ever Purchase
Both my wife and I use Mae Derdarian's book in our college courses, she in her course on Women's Studies, and myself in a course on the Genocide. I am a published author and have published analyses of the genocide in professional academic journals. My wife and I are in personal contact with Derdarian and only can praise the book and its impact on our students.
Quick Read But Not An Easy Subject
I use this book in a HS class I teach on Genocide and Human Behavior.Even though it is taught during the dreaded "senior spring,"once the kids start reading this book, they can not put it down (That should be enough of a testment to read the book).I actually only assign a portion of the text but most of the kids end up finishing the story on their own.Vergeen's story of the Armenian Genocide works for we see the horrors of the "Young Turks" regime through the eyes of a teenager.That being said, it is just as powerful a story for adults.I know there are more famous titles on this subject out there but none more powerful... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography/Autobiography    2. Ethnic Cultures - General    3. Middle East - Turkey    4. Armenia    5. Armenian massacres    6. Armenian massacres, 1915-1923    7. Biography    8. Ethnic Cultures    9. Meghrouni, Virginia    10. Personal narratives    11. Survivors    12. Turkey - History   

Reviews (17)

A fascinating perspective
The authors have tapped into a vastly unknown arena, by seeking out survivors of the century's first genocide.It is a riveting read of testimonies, interwoven with sociological and psychological theory, to explain how the survivors have made it through and coped with the memories, losses and experiences.It is probably the largest collection of testimonies in one publication, and for students of psychology or sociology, it is a must-read.
"Adam" cut-n-pastes his review again..check it out!!!
...so he has posted the same review 7+ times on ANY book about the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish attrocities between 1890 and 1922.He HAS NOT READ any of these books so his reviews are as good as dirt.Please disregard his bogus immature approach.Check out the "All my Reviews" tab and you will see that "Adam" and many others were just sent here to Amazon to flood the gates with bogus reviews of perfectly good works of art.They are pushing Turkish propaganda on a site where literary ctitiscism is needed, not pushing agendas...

Keeps up the memory of the armenian genocide
Personal reports are the best way to silence those who are not ashamed to deny a genocide, even though it is a proven fact.
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Subjects:  1. Europe - Former Soviet Republics    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. ASIA    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history    8. European history: from c 1900 -    9. First World War, 1914-1918    10. History / General    11. Inter-war period, 1918-1939    12. Oral history    13. The Holocaust    14. Turkey   

Subjects:  1. Armenian massacres, 1915-1923    2. Eastern Europe - General    3. Genocide    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. Modern - 20th Century    9. War crimes    10. History / Modern / 20th Century   

Reviews (2)

Pass the Turkey, Please
In The Ottoman Empire and Early Modern Europe, Daniel Goffman takes a fresh approach to explaining the relationship between Europe and the Ottoman Empire.He takes a dim view of earlier historians of the Ottoman Empire whom he accuses of being guilty of Orientalism.Goffman's goal in this book is to highlight the commonalities between the Ottoman Empire and the rest of Europe by investigating two aspects of the empire, the state's polity and its interactions with Western Europe.
Against Ottoman Black Legend
I find in this book a good defence against the "Ottoman Black Legend", insisting that Turkey is also part of Europe, and showing that the Ottoman Empire was more alike to the present world than contemporary Christian societies, given that its degree of tolerance towards other people's religions and the ethnic compo-sition of its subjects was far greater and more varied than those of Christian Early Modern Europe. But I have the feeling that this book is not for beginners, but for those who already know about the Ottoman Empire and which wish to deepen their knowledge.I have rated it four starts. Considering its content, I think it should be five; conside-ring its readability, three. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Middle East - General    6. Middle East - Turkey    7. Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918    8. Relations    9. Turkey    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history    11. European history: c 50