A Traveller's History of Turkey (Traveller's History Series) [Paperback]

Richard Stoneman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Traveller's History Series | Publication Date: March 1997

This book is part of a series for students and tourists who feel they need more background information on Turkey. This concise account covers everything from the legendary Flood of Noah, the early civilisation of Catal Huyuk 7000 years before Christ, the treasures of Troy, Alexander the Great, the Romans, Selcuks, Byzantines and the Golden Age of the Sultans to the changes of the 20th century.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Stoneman gives a spare but lively overview of the country that stands as the historic meeting place of East and West. He concisely reviews Turkey's past history, from prehistoric Anatolia, the Hittite age, the Persian conquest, the rule of Alexander the Great, the impact of Rome, the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, and the Ataturk years, to modern-day Turkey. The book helps the visitor make sense of the country against the background of its diverse heritage. Appended are a chronology of major events and battles; a list of native rulers; recommended further reading; and a gazetteer, which is cross-referenced to the main text and highlights sites, towns, and places of historical significance. Illustrated with maps and line drawings, this will be a valuable companion for visitors seeking to learn about this fascinating country. Recommended for general collections.
- Susan Fifer Canby, National Geographic Soc. Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Richard Stoneman is an Oxford trained classicist with a thorough knowledge of ancient Greece, its language and history; he has also published many books on modern Greece and is familiar with the sources from the Middle Ages and the modern period. He is the author of A Literary Companion to Travel in Greece, A Traveller's History of Turkey, A luminous Land: Artists Discover Greece. He is a frequent visitor to Greece and gets withdrawal symptoms if he doesn't go to Athens at least once a year. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Pub Group Inc; 2nd edition (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566562090
• ISBN-13: 978-1566562096
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,107,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Best of Category Book, March 3, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Traveller's History of Turkey (Traveller's History Series) (Paperback)

Old too soon...I bought this book too late. After returning from three weeks in Turkey with at least an appreciation for 5000 years of history, I found Stoneman's handy book, but not in time to conceal my sad lack of knowledge from fellow travellers. This book is no turkey

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For potential travelers to Turkey: a 2010 review of the 2006 edition, July 26, 2010

By 

marco polo "traveler" (washington dc usa) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Traveller's History of Turkey (Paperback)

(Note: This book has gone thru several editions, 2006 being the most recent. Thus, only one of the previous seven Amazon reviews --- the 2008 one [all the others are from the 1990s] --- is really pertinent for anyone currently considering a purchase).

The first year mentioned in the book is 500,000BC. The last is 2005AD. That's a lot of time to cover in only 247 pages (including indices). Hence, some of it is about as interesting as a biblical begat: "Anitta of Kussara founded the Hittite kingdom, destroying Hattus and tranfering his capital to Kanesh, which now became known as Nesha.... Laberna moved the capital back to Hattus --- now to be called Hattuse or Hattusas --- and took the name Hattusili" and so on.

There's specific mention in the text of practically all 37 of the Ottoman sultans, including (but not limited to) 4 Mustafas; 6 Mehmets; 5 Murats; Bayezit the Thunderbolt; Ibraheim the Mad; and, of course, Suleyman the Magnificent. An 9-page appendix provides the names, dates, and dynasties of almost 200 rulers of all or parts of what is now Turkey from the early 18th century BC onward (but not including the Persians and the Romans, although several of them do show up in the text). Another appendix (8 pages) is a chronology of major events from 8000BC until the above-referenced 2005 (the event that year being currency reform). Yet another appendix (again 9 pages)is an historical gazetteer beginning with Aezani (the site of the best preserved Roman temple) and ending with Zongudak (the Anatolian equivalent of Port Talbot).

Truly mind-boggling. Also dry as a desert.

One curiosity deserving comment is the noticeable revision of several pages of the text where the type and the space between lines have obviously been altered. Pages 165 and 183 are very obvious (and a couple of others are suspicious). Since the subject matter on 165 is the Armenian genocide and on 183 an introduction to Turkey since 1939 the changes are perhaps for political purposes. It would be interesting to see the pre-alteration texts. Maybe they are what so riled a couple of the book's reviewers from the 90s decade.

In any case, if you want to become a scholar of Turkey, this book is probably a good first step toward your goal. On the other hand, if you're just an ordinary tourist/traveler, the history chapters should suffice in Steves or Cadogan or Lonely Planet or whatever other guidebook you choose.

Bon voyage.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, October 21, 2008

By 

E. Bernard - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Traveller's History of Turkey (Traveller's Histories Series) (Paperback)

Like a previous reviewer, I was put off by the concentration on ancient history with almost no modern history.

Having said that, the ancient history IS fascinating and I am very hald I read the book.

To the two turkish reviewers: when your country finally admits that it massacred the Greeks at Smyrna and the Armenians at every opportunity, then people will begin to forget, but as long as you insist that these things didn't happen people will assume that that is still the way it is in Turkey.