Customer Reviews

Turkish Odyssey, A Traveler's Guide to Turkey and Turkish Culture

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the book you will want to read after you've been to Turkey (which is not to say you shoudln't read it before going). It is not the typical "travel guide" with hotel and restaurant listings nor is it the typical "insight guide" with ponderous prose and more history than any but a history professor could love. If you want a book to carry as a reference, buy something else. For one thing, this book is too beautiful to ruin carting it about in your suitcase. There are over 300 excellent photos depicting the country and the people. The book is entertaining, easy to read, and beautiful to look at. Serif Yenen answers the odd questions every traveler has (but is usually afraid to ask his travel guide), and he is unabashedly proud of his Anatolia. (The author is a well known travel guide in Turkey and you may be interested to know that he maintains an informative web site for his travel company.) I would recommend this book to someone who has been to Turkey or is planning a visit and wants to have a greater connection to the people, traditions, culture and history.

This book is a wonderful book to use to find out about Turkish culture. It has a overview of the history, geography, culture, foods, religion and sites of this amazing country. It is not a travel guide. Do not buy this if you are looking for a book to tell you where to spend the night in Istanbul. Do buy this book to find out those things you did not ask your guide in Turkey. I personally recomend it as a good way to begin finding out about Turkish culture, perfect to read and then discuss with your Turkish frineds before your trip to Turkey.

Have visited Turkey a number of times, and have quite a large collection of Books about Turkey. My favorite reference by far is the Turkish Odyssey

It is a pity this book is not available on this site. I recently completed a trip to Turkey and purchased the book there. The author has done a magnificent job providing a historical context of a fascinating country (What is the difference between the Hattites and the Hittites, anyway?). Additionally,his discussions of Turkish life and culture broaden one's understanding of the country. (Why is paper not required when using Turkish toilets?) As several reviewers have noted this is not a traditional guide book in the sense of providing suggestions for eating, sleeping and shopping but it is a guide book in the sense of fully describing points of interest and for that reason it can be read before, during and after any trip to that country. The only caveat is that the book covers western and central Turkey, the Black Sea area and eastern Turkey are not included. One hopes the book becomes generally available in the U.S. in the future. Highly recommended!

I am also a tour guide working in Turkey. This present study of Yenen has always been very helpful for me in my three years profession. It is so nice to see a native book after contacting so many foreigners. Strongly recommended if you want more than a usual guide can give.

This is a good source for anyone planning to travel to Turkey or who just wants to know more about the country and its culture. We're planning a trip to Turkey later this year, and this book nicely supplements another travel book I had already purchased, especially with regard to history and culture.

See Turkey through the eyes of a Turk: "Turkish Odyssey"

Information which I have never read in any other books has been included in TURKISH ODYSSEY. Congratulations!

TURKISH ODYSSEY is so beautifuuly written. Everything that I would like to know about Turkey is in Turkish Odyssey.

You get your first hint that this is a wrotten guidebook when you pick it up: it is incredibly heavy, easily over a pound. Who would want to lug that all over Turkey? As we discovered when we got there and opened it, no one. This is a poor coffee-table book masquerading as a guide book. Lots of pictures, with descriptions of places to visit that are only a little more informative than what you would find on the back of a postcard. No lists of hotels, places to eat, or anything like that. A waste of money for any traveller.