Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The great Eurasian steppe is a region of scrub and feathery grasses which stretches from the borders of China to the shore of the Black..." (more)
Key Phrases: boy tribute, kapudan pasha, grand vizier, Black Sea, Golden Horn, Kara Mustafa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A work of dazzling beauty...the rare coming together of historical scholarship and curiosity about distant places with luminous writing." --The New York Times Book Review

"A meditation on a vanished world that hovers like an apparition over today's grim headlines." --The New York Times Book Review

"Jason Goodwin's deftly written and beguiling history of the Ottoman Empire is particularly pertinent today, when the cauldron of ancient hatred once more boils over, but his prose would be welcome at any time."
---The Boston Globe

"May be read with pleasure and profit by everyone, not least the traveler headed east of Vienna and west of Baghdad."--The Wall Street Journal

"A delightfully picaresque history, brimming with memorable anecdotes and outrageous personalities." --Kirkus Reviews
-- Review

Review

"A work of dazzling beauty...the rare coming together of historical scholarship and curiosity about distant places with luminous writing." --The New York Times Book Review

"A meditation on a vanished world that hovers like an apparition over today's grim headlines." --The New York Times Book Review

"Jason Goodwin's deftly written and beguiling history of the Ottoman Empire is particularly pertinent today, when the cauldron of ancient hatred once more boils over, but his prose would be welcome at any time."
---The Boston Globe

"May be read with pleasure and profit by everyone, not least the traveler headed east of Vienna and west of Baghdad."--The Wall Street Journal

"A delightfully picaresque history, brimming with memorable anecdotes and outrageous personalities." --Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Picador (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312420668
• ISBN-13: 978-0312420666
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,653 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drifting through the Dardenelles (along with those sacks of odalisques)..., December 10, 2005

By	Erica Bell (Washington State) - See all my reviews

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Goodwin models his dreamy, seemingly drifting style on what he percieves as the timeless feel of the the Sublime Porte, timeless and suspended in time. For this reason, the reader won't find a simple chronological ordering in the narrative, which drifts from age to age and back again, often refering to the same incident in many ways. It's an interesting tack to take in a book of history, but it's especially canny with reference to the Ottomans, who saw their civilization as the center of all time and thought. I've read it twice now, and gotten much from Goodwin's prose, which is elegant and erudite, and even occasionally gossipy. Goodwin is obviously in love with the whole top-heavy, inefficient mess, yet his love isn't blind, and he traces the flaws back as far as Suleyman. Perhaps "Lords of the Horizons" is not the easiest introduction to the subject, but for those who enjoy full-immersion, it's the most enchanting.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but very good, May 18, 2006

By	John Me Wallace "Keymaster of Gozer" (San Antonio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As has already been mentioned, "Lords of the Horizons" is not a true-blue history book. The history is confined mostly to its beginning and end; the core of the book is a lengthy, wide-ranging meditation on Ottoman culture at its peak, based largely on travel accounts and primary sources. I'm not surprised that Goodwin's other work includes travel literature; a travelogue is exactly what most of the book reads like.

Most of the book has no real chronological order; one can either see this as disorganized, or as intending to provide a kind of snapshot of Ottoman society. I prefer the latter; its jumpy nature is more than made up for by the author's superb language use: elegant and evocative, without being florid. I do agree however that the Armenian genocide, if not excused is indeed appallingly absent, and one wonders if he was just trying to speed things along by glossing over it.

All told though, I found this book to be a pleasure to read; I think it's something you're going to want to take some real time with, like a long country walk.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A quirky look at the Ottomans, August 27, 2006

By	Art (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

I give the author credit for trying to break out of the mold of "standard history" While I learned much about the Ottoman Empire, I recommend the reader begin with a fairly solid background in Eurasian and Central European history before diving into this work. If you read this book cold you might get lost, since the author is so familiar with his subject that he often fails to give extensive background on the hundreds of historical names and places he throws about.

The true heart of the book is what you will gain if you stick with it. Which is the look, feel, taste, and smell of the Ottoman Empire. These critical features are often missing from most "standard historical works". I really felt like I understood the culture and mindset of the Ottoman leaders after completing the book. The author has obviously spent a great deal of time in the area.

I agree with many reviewers that the title "history of the ottoman empire is misleading". "Impressions of the Ottomans Empire" would have been a better title.

While I am not sure the author's style will ever be widely accepted (academics will always attack his approach, and general readers might become lost and give up). I found it a worthwhile and enjoyable effort.