'Without question one of the best books ever written by an Englishman on the Turks' William Dalrymple
Absorbing history of the vibrantly cosmopolitan city of Constantinople and its ruling family, ranging from 1453-1924.
'Plenty of intrigue and bloodshed. The squeamish should skip the city's solution to the stray dog problem... and focus on the convincingly documented and colourful ebb and flow of economy and society'
