Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire

It was a delight to read this book even though the topic was so familiar. One had to contend mostly with very narrow and stuffy academic treatments or blatant propaganda until recently if one wanted to just learn, as an ordinary interested person, about one of the last great empires, Ottomans. Even as a student of recent Ottoman history, much new perspective was gained. It is easy to read and enjoyable. It captures the colors, sounds, smells and tastes of this fascinating empire, its times and its adventures, effecting so much of what happens around us even today. How the Ottomans managed such a huge, multi-ethnic, multi-religious society for such a long time is also a very timely and relevant topic given the global political developments following the end of the Cold War. There are some quirks of style such as notes that lead to no interesting or related facts but seem to go tangential and comments that seem to just hang in the air, but it did not distract from the flow of the story at all. Readers without any background in the topic or region may feel lost a little at times as some of the reviews suggest. Historical accuracy and references are excellent, especially for a self-proclaimed travel-writer. It was especially appreciated by this reader that a strict chronological story line was not followed, which distinguishes it from other "history" books. Mr. Goodwin puts real people and events and motives behind the story, which has understandably frustrated those readers who would like to see Turks or Ottomans as pure evil and cause of everything ever done wrong. Mr. Goodwin does not give them much satisfaction. The Ottomans represented for a long while an alternate path to civilzation, if only world did not have boundries. I am still perplexed by the very strange epilogue while the very end of the empire, which is one of its most interesting and relevant periods, gets a very brief treatment. One only hopes that more of this type of writing follows this book. The topic is so rich, so poorly treated and so many lessons are to be learned yet. I recommend highly for all serious and casual readers.

Packed with details, well researched, good background for visiting Turkey or for getting a handle on what is going on now. The tensions in the area are historical and driving by economics. I found that the jumping between eras and sultans a bit disconcerting as was the similar names of viziers, sultans, and caliphs of different eras but that goes with the territory. Maybe some of our legislators should read up on the history of a very complex arena of culture, religion, present and past politics and economics.

I slogged thru this book, just hoping it was going to get better. I think it did near the end, but wow - what a difficult book to read. As others have noted, it's not chronological, but instead grouped by some very obscure themes. For most of the sections, I could not determine a true theme. The book just randomly jumps all around. I read a lot of non-fiction, especially history, and this has to be the worst I have ever read. I think he certainly did a mis-service to the Ottoman history. I'm glad others have enjoyed it, but I'm just happy to be done with it!

The way this book is written is so beautiful. It is very fun to read. It also teaches everything you need to know for the basics without getting way down into the weeds like so many historical books do. You will not be subjected to every minute detail of every little battle that was ever fought for 1000 years. The book clips right along and generally never gets too bogged down into any particular person or thing. It also paints the Ottoman world in vivid colors. You can practically smell what you are reading it is so well done.

Many know the author best through his "Inspector Yashim" detective stories ( and now his cookbook ), but Goodwin is a PhD in Ottoman studies and this book exemplifies the best of written history. It is a "popular" history, but writen as a true scholar showing the author's depth of reading and familiarity with innumerable sources. It is not a boring timeline chronology of Sultans and battles, but an immersion into the Ottoman world ( much like his novels) in which you meet these characters and join them in the events. I read the book years ago, then traveled to Istanbul, Greece, Bosnia, and even to Eger, Hungary to see the northern most minaret of the Ottoman conquest. Reading the book now for the second time was even more enjoyable.

Bought this for a college class and ended up really liking the book and thought it was easier to read as opposed to many history books.

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.

It a gem.

I have just finished reading this wonderful book for the second time,immediately following my first reading. This was not because of any problem, but simply the sheer exuberant generosity with which Jason Goodwin has endowed his history of the Ottoman Empire. A cornucopia, horn of plenty, about the Golden Horn. Previous reviewers seem dismayed that this book is not a dusty academic piece of writing, accurate to the letter, but not the spirit, of the Ottoman Empire. It is written, not like a list on a war memorial - just names & dates but, in a way it is like a beautiful wall of Iznic tiles, or an embroidered quilt, and that style reveals far more of the multi-faceted culture & six century-long Osman dynasty's rule over vast lands & diverse peoples. I came to this book via an abiding affection for all things to do with the Ottoman Empire and especially Istanbul, its heart. Various novels, Jason Goodwin's own Yashim ones and other authors like Elif Shafak and Jenny White, Katie Hickman & Barbara Nadel encouraged me in a desire to explore more about Istanbul & hence resort to non-fiction.... the dark side! The great thing for an amateur who revels in ancient regimes is that works of historical fiction can spawn a serious interest in studying a person or period in a greater depth. This book, Lords of the Horizons is my bridge to that, as it combines a lightly worn but profound erudition ( doubtless the result of hours of research, reading dusty tomes) with a beautiful style of writing - friendly, amusing and delightfully digressive. Goodwin's footnotes area little treasure trove in themselves. So this largesse is why I have re-read Lords of the Horizons. I have no doubt I shall happily read it again & discover yet more interesting facts about this fascinating world. I would also recommend Ogier de Busbecq' Turkish Letters' trans.E.S.Forster

Ich habe das Buch am Flughafen in Istanbul gesehen, aber nicht gleich gekauft. Mithilfe der Rezensionen auf amazon wurde ich überzeugt, und kann nur bestätigen, dass es sich um einen sehr angenehm zu lesenden historischen Überblick auf die Geschichte des osmanischen Reiches, der aber keinesfalls oberflächlich ist. Der Autor überzeugt mit viel Kompetenz und mit einen sehr angenehmen Stil.

Jason Goodwin writes with affectionate knowledge about the Ottomans - a wise, admiring and amusing book in the manner of the best British travel traditions.

Tarih okumayı sevenlere tavsiye edilir. Ufuklarin Efendisi olarak Türkceye çevrildi. 16-17 yüzyılda Osmanlı günlük yaşamını ve ruh halini anlatıyor.