John Freely (1926–2017)

This isn't the first book you should read about Istanbul. Yes, it gives you an amazing one-volume overview of the city's history from the 7th century BC to the 20th century AD—Istanbul's history is arguably richer than Rome's, and what else but amazing could such a history be?—but Freely's determination not to leave a single emperor or sultan unmentioned gives the book an unfortunate resemblance to the Bible's books of Kings, with their endless variations on "In the twenty-third year of King Joash son of Ahaziah of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu began to reign over Israel in Samaria; he reigned seventeen years..." Yes, there are memorable anecdotes and astounding facts, but the fact remains that we've got 300 pages of rulers given a page or two each, leaving little room for substantial discussion of anything else. The value of this book is its compact comprehensiveness, not its readability.

If, like me, you are fascinated by old monuments and wonder about the circumstances of their creation, the eighty-page appendix listing the major buildings and wonders surviving in modern Istanbul is the most notable part of the book, and the part that I will return to before returning to Istanbul.… (more)