Travelers Tales Turkey: True Stories (Paperback)

by James Villers Jr. (Editor) "THE FIRST FRIENDS I MADE IN TURKEY TOLD ME THAT IF I really wanted to understand their country, I would have to drink a lot..." (more)
Key Phrases: myth book, Black Sea, Haci Baba, Ali Bey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A collection of writings by noted contributors considers...Turkey’s merchant markets, religious culture, coastal regions [and] ruins..." -- Paper Clips

"A first of its kind collection of stories about vibrant Turkey." -- ForeWord Magazine

Product Description
From cosmopolitan Istanbul to villages where people have never heard of America or England, the writers here describe a vibrant land. Markets burst with the colors of carpets, the aroma of spices, and the sound of merchants eager to make a sale. Minarets and the call to prayer pierce the blue sky while Sufi dervishes whirl in the shadows. The seas glisten, lapping against coasts dotted with the ruins of antiquity. Tradition blends with contemporary change, as Turkey struggles to find its place in the new millennium. Travelers' Tales Turkey unveils this dramatic land through stories that range from whimsical to profound. Drink raki and smoke a water pipe with Stephen Kinzer. Explore the cave churches and fairy chimneys of Cappadocia with Mary Lee Settle. Search for evidence of Noah's Ark at Mount Ararat with Bruce Feiler. Wrestle with the legend of the Goddess Artemis with Tim Ward. Discover the exquisite pleasure of the perfect Turkish dish on the roadside with Pier Roberts and be applauded by a busload of locals for your good judgment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Travelers' Tales (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885211821
• ISBN-13: 978-1885211828
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #661,675 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An odd assortment of tales, with some gems, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

For those who may not know of it, Traveler's Tales is a San Francisco-based publishing house that has earned a reputation for producing high-quality, well-designed books that bring together stories from leading travel writers, presenting a kaleidoscope of outlooks on a specific place or topic. Past editions have focused on places like Mexico, Japan, Tuscany and Tibet, and themes such as romance, food and spiritual travel.

Traveler's Tales' 2002 collection of stories from Turkey contains 31 full-length stories, as well as numerous factual side details, excerpts from literature on Turkey, and anecdotes from the road. It covers grand adventures, like Richard Halliburton's epic swim across the Bosporus and Tim Cahill's mountain search for the legendary Caspian tiger, as well as sublime experiences like Mary Lee Settle's visit to the tunneled moonscape of Cappadocia and Laurence Mitchell's journey with religious pilgrims to the southern city of Urfa, birthplace of Abraham.

The book also provides sensible, sometimes sensual information on such customs as smoking the narghile (water pipe) and sipping Turkish tea. Vivid descriptions of the country are encountered frequently, with some of the best being James Villers' portrait of the vibrant Istiklal Caddesi shopping street in Istanbul and Nicholas Shrady's trip to the tomb of the mystic poet Rumi in Konya.

...Without a doubt, the best story in the collection is Tim Cahill's "Anyone seen a tiger around here?" This rollicking tale describes a real quest- the search for the perhaps extinct Caspian tiger, told with great humor and aplomb by the king of improbable outdoor adventures. Along with Cahill's retelling of memorable encounters with Turkish military officials, we also learn a fair bit about the Kurds, Armenian churches, and the anatomy of myths as passed down in villages everywhere. The story proves irresistible to the very end, where the discovery- almost- of the fabled beast leaves the author intimating a return trip sometime in the future. This clever twist leaves the reader impatient for the sequel.

The full version of this review, and many others, can be found here: www.balkanalysis.com

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars disappointing; merely adequate, December 27, 2003

By	S. Clark - See all my reviews

I was mostly disappointed by this book.

Very few of the tales described Turkey in a positive way that showed that the traveler had really connected with the country, culture and people.

Too many of the tales spent way too much time in poetical daydreaming and flights of fancy. One, fairly long entry, called "Encounter With The Goddess" was really horrible. The author goes on and on, indulging in the most ridiculous, woolly-headed speculations about deep, primeval origins of goddess worship. And to make matters worse, he spills his guts about his inner most feelings (mostly negative, VERY negative) about his current sex partner and companion. I was really flabbergasted that the editor of this book allowed this to be included in the collection.

This book could have used a lot more tales from seasoned Turkphiles. Many of the entries in this book seem to be submitted bu people who are either dillitantes or who have major reservations about Turkey and who want to maintain their distance from it.

Still, it's quite a bit better than nothing.

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For people who love Her.., October 25, 2002

By	D. Klevorn (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Or for people who want to know why she is loved. Poetic without being maudlin. A fine book.