Customer Reviews

Istanbul: The Collected Traveler: An Inspired Companion Guide (Vintage Departures Original)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Istanbul -- The Collected Traveler, is unlike any book I've ever read. Most books, whether non-fiction or fiction, have minor characters. Not this one. Kerper has collected winning articles from a stable of thinkers and writers, each as brilliant, authoritative and uniquely knowledgeable about aspects of Turkey, in general, and Istanbul, in particular, as the next.

At first I found this unsettling. With all the heavy hitters sharing their favorite insights as well as the limelight, I felt adrift. I wanted someone - a main voice - to cling to. But that's because this is the first book of Kerper's I've read. What became clear is that there actually is a main narrator here, Kerper herself, but she keeps herself in the background, gently guiding instead of expounding.

The best way to absorb her book, I found, was by pretending I was going to a party with her, a party stuffed with luminaries, Turkish scholars and experts, all of whom she knew but I didn't. Then I let her introduce me to the brightest minds in the crowd - John Freely, Mary Cable, Annette Grossbongardt - who go on to teach me about all things Turkish.

Entrust yourself to Kerper's care because she knows what she's doing. She gives an education like none other - an education that will delight, inform and allow you to know what to look for when your airplane lands.

This provides a traveler with the overview and background that don't print out with the plane ticket. It isn't the guide for those wanting to choose a hotel or a restaurant but for those who want to understand something of a city, a history, and a culture not their own. The choice of articles -- including some evocative older pieces -- makes you feel you are there, and the hints about customs and reading lists are immensely useful. This is a guide with which to travel, even from your armchair.

Before reading this book, I didnt know much about Istanbul. But now nothing 'Istanbul' escapes me. What of the chef mentioned in the New Yorker? He is already talked of in the book. Musa Dagdeviren. What did Mark twain think of Istanbul in his 'The Innocents Abroad'. He will not go there again. What did Paul Therox see on his 'The Great Railway Bazaar' train? Such is the fascination that grows of a place, its people, their food, origins, their monuments, streets and daily life.

Most places are not this old to have such a long history to know of. So how much ever I may wish to know of all places to the extent covered in this book, might not be possible.

It takes a curator, a gardener, journalists, writers, reporters, cook book authors, an Egyptologist, a tour guide and many more to bring the far away land to life.

The list and notes of related books is extensive.

I have seen TV ads of hamam as a kid. But now I know of the bath house tradition.

This is a remarkable travel book. It is aimed at cultural travelers interested in (1) monuments and sights and (2) food. Most guide books are quite boring to read (at least for me). This book, however, has an editor that really has forced the contributors to add value; partly newly written texts and partly old texts that the editor really likes. I have to say that this format works excellently. Probably thanks to the editor also knows Istanbul very well. The writing draws you into really wanting to see the different sights of Istanbul. You learn by reading but you also develop an urge to actually see the sights described. Actually I would go as far as to say that the Topkapi and Hagia Sophia are boring to visit unless you first read the book. Many old fogey would lament that the wonderful Istanbul of yesteryear is gone. This is probably true and it helps to read this book.

The book also has some discussion about food and specific restaurants are mentioned. I don't know to what extent these chapters have been written by experts as opposed to just the editor's friends.

The book is not without weakness. It these actually are weaknesses depends fully on what you are looking for:

- Sometimes it feels like edited by a dilettantish, provincial outsider. It is clearly not written by a Turk, but maybe that is an advantage. It has a yesteryear kind of feel. Like it was written before the era of mass tourism (and many chapters in the book were).

- If you're looking for modern history or what young or professional Istanbullers do and think this is absolutely not the book for you.

- In addition to this book you will need a traditional guidebook with maps, opening hours, etc. I don't have one to recommend. (I used Time Out Istanbul (Time Out Guides), which looked good. However after using it, I give it one star only). So do your own research.

The book is very readable so I don't hesitate to dish out five stars. Get it even if you just read a couple of chapters.

I plan to travel to Istanbul in the near future and was looking for something that would beyond the normal guide book info. This book fits the bill nicely - it collects articles from a wide variety of writers that touch on various attributes of the city, history, Turkish culture, etc. I found them enjoyable and useful. Sprinkled throughout the text are some wonderful photographs.

A second feature is the book contains are large number of recommended readings at the end of each chapter with annotations by the editor Barrie Kerper. This is much more problematic for me and I have to wonder about the reliability of her selections. For example, when discussing the Crusades, she recommends Steven Runciman's 3 volume history, "The Crusade's Through Arab Eyes" by Amin Maalouf, and Karen Armstrong's "Holy War." Well, as it so happens, the Crusades happen to be a favorite subject of mine and I have read extensively on the subject. These works are not good sources. Runciman's work, although well regarded when published, is over 50 years old and is considered outdated. It has been superseeded by recent and more accurate works, such as those by Johnathan Riley-Smith and Thomas Madden. The thesis of Maalouf's book - that, in the Muslim world, the Crusades are a bitter memory that has been retained for 800 years is simply not true. In fact, scholarship shows that just the opposite was true - that the Crusades were forgotten in the Muslim World until about 100 years ago when they were re-intoduced by Westerners. For example, Maalouf (who is a novelist, not a historian) cites the great legacy of the Sultan warrior Saladin. The fact is that Saladin was all but fogotten to the Muslim world until the 20th Century. 19th century photographs show his grave site to be in complete disrepair, almost to the point of obliteraion. That is hardly in keeping with what one would expect if the legacy of Saladin and the bitter memory of the Crusades were as Maalouf claims. The fact is that one of the great ironies of the Crusades was that Saladin was remembered and reveered in the West and forgotten in the Middle East. As for Karen Armstrong...please. She can not be cited as a serious source on this. She is a not a historian - she is a lapsed Catholic nun with an ax to grind. No one has done more to foister a historically inaccurate narrative of the Crusades on the general public. Her writings should be avoided at all cost.

The point I am trying to make is that of the 3 sources that Kerper cited on this subject, one is outdated and 2 are inaccurate. How reliable are the souces that she cites for other topics? I don't know the answer to that question, but it does give me pause and prevents me from giving the book more than 3 stars, as much as I like many of its features.

It took me awhile to catch my interest - I guess because for me, the first few pages were the least compelling, and it took forever to get past them. But once I skipped over those pages, I quickly came to appreciate this collection of articles, interviews and book excerpts. A joy to read before an upcoming return trip to Turkey. Really, it comes down to Kerper sharing everything I could only dream someone would collect for me, covering subjects ranging from history, art, monuments & architecture, recipes, restaurant and book reviews, and other people's experiences living, working or traveling in Turkey - accompanied by her own commentary. So, here's the dream come true.

The only thing lacking is visual imagery. Most spaces void of text are oddly filled with images of airline tickets, repetitive simple decorative line drawings, or photos which do not correlate with the text. More often than not, she missed opportunities to include related photos which would take the book to 5 stars for me. Nonetheless, I still love this book.

I was stationed in Ankara, Turkey while serving in the Army. I traveled to Istanbul for a long weekend with my room mate. We had a great time but just barely skimmed the surface. That was in 1966. Now going back for a better look around and this book offers insights to things that I probably never would have know about.

Istanbul is such a fantastic city. I've now taken students to Istanbul three times, and have been a total of five times. I take students to Istanbul because of Istanbul's fascinating history, it's friendly people, and it's affordability. Turks are some of the friendliest people in the world and I've never had a bad experience, until my last trip.

The Sultanahmet Cafe and Restaurant is a rip-off joint, and I promised the staff that I would let everyone know about it.

There are two scams to avoid if you accidentally find yourself in this dump, but you should just avoid entering, but just in case:

1. The "Hello my friend, let me give you 20% off" scam. Some friendly dork out in the street begs you to look at the Sultanahmet menu, and promises you free bread and 20% off of the entire bill. Well as soon as you enter the restaurant, dare I call it a restaurant, he disappears. What 20% discount?

2. The second scam is the french-fry scam. The menu says 7NTL for a plate of fries. They bring out a plate and put it on the table. When you get the bill, the plate of fries is now 15NTL, or $10. "Hey my friend, the fries for the table are twice as big." Well now you've paid $10 for french fries. This was especially bad because I bought 4 plates for my students to share with their very average meal.

Hey sultanahmet cafe, your stupid website doesn't even look like the same food. And you don't even have a picture of your super awesome retarded french fries.

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