Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

by Caroline Finkel

Book Overview

The definitive history of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire was one of the largest and most influential empires in world history. Its reach extended to three continents and it survived for more... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465023975
• ISBN13: 9780465023974
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 704 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Narrative History

Excellent narrative history, with sound research in the primary sources, of the Ottoman Empire, one of the greatest states of the modern era.

A great resource for Ottoman history-it is large for a reason

This book is large for a reason- it is a comprehensive work on the History of the Ottoman Empire, not a small pocket-sized guide for just anyone. That is what is lost here, for this book delivers on what it promises. If you wish to know much more about the details of the Ottoman Empire and love history, then I highly recommend this work. It starts from the first conquests of the Ottomans onwards up until the beginnings of the Turkish Republic under Ataturk, which is 600 years of fascinating events. It provides details into the minds of each ruler and his governmental structure, how relations were improved or destroyed, and provides many references from primary sources which add to the narrative. Don't buy this book if you want a quick lesson- buy it if you are truly serious in learning more of the history of the Ottoman Empire.

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

An excellent book. Very readable. A great way to compress six centuries of the great Ottoman Empire in a relatively short space. Finally the truth about Ottomans are emerging from the pens of eminent scholars, instead of garbage spewn by Armenians, Greeks, and some European powers that vied for Ottoman territories and resources for their own colonial purposes. I hate to see armenian-Americans to unfairly degrade a book that is truthful or complimentary to the great Ottoman Empire. Hope these folks grow up soon. I will not stoop to their level and demean the authors that put out lies about the "poor" armenians. Great job Caroline.

A book worth waiting for

In the last few years there has been many good new studies on the Ottoman Empire. But none has been a history of the Ottomans from start to finish, based on a wide range of sources, but also a flowing narrative, not a textbook. Now with Osman's Dream we have a narrative history that will be hard to surpass. The only other book that comes close in its readability is Lord Kinross's classic, written in the 1970s. But that was an old-style study, based on ancient legends and old prejudices. Caroline Finkel's book comes from deep knowledge of the Ottoman sources, and for the first time, the long story rings true. Few empires were more complex and more opaque to the outsider than the Ottoman world. Finkel understands it and she never lets her own opinions get in the way of opening up that world to the reader. She draws together this long history in a manner that disentangles its complexities, brings its individuals to life, and connects the Ottoman past to the Turkish present. Even with well known episodes, she manages to add something new, often through the deft use of Ottoman sources in a sprightly translation. It is a huge book, but for this reader, never seemed overlong. There is often one book that will outlast all the others on any given subject, and will define the topic for a generation. Finkel already has a reputation in her academic area of Ottoman studies. The truly remarkable aspect of Osman's Dream is that it is good not just on her speciality, but all the way through, from the 14th to the 20th century. A magnicent achievement.

an epic story for our times

"Osman's Dream" is that rare thing, a work of groundbreaking history that is also extremely timely. This book is crucial for anyone seeking to understand relations between East and West or Turkey's place in the world today. The epic story of the Ottomans from their origins in the steppes of Central Asia to their occupation of much of Europe, this is the first book to uncover the empire's own dynamic history. The book shimmers with the splendor of the imperial court at a time when European nations were barely emerging from backwoods primitivism. Multiracial, multicultural, multinational, for much of its history the Ottoman empire exceeded Europe in religious tolerance and cultural richness. Caroline Finkel's beautifully written narrative challenges from the ground up the orthodoxies and stereotypes that haunt popular views of the Ottomans and the Turks. Everybody who was fascinated by the "Turks" exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (2005) should buy and read this book. It is a sophisticated synthesis of the best new scholarship and of original archival research, with lessons for today's contentious nationalisms at every turn.