Aziz Nesin.
1977/1979Istanbul Boy. Translated by J. S. Jacobson. 2 vols. University of Texas Press (Middle East Monographs, Nos. 3 and 7), Austin.

Vol.I, Boyle Gelmis, Boyle Gitmez (That's How It Was But Not How It's Going to Be), the autobiography of Aziz Nesin, Part I.

Vol. II, Yol (The Path), the autobiography of Aziz Nesin. A delightful firsthand account of growing up in Istanbul by one of Turkey's foremost short story writers.

Irgan Orga
1950 Portrait of A Turkish Family. Macmillan, New York.

Nostalgia and family memories of life along the Bosporus related by one who grew up during the transformation from Empire to Republic.

Hilary Sumner-Boyd and John Freely.
1972 Strolling through Istanbul: A Guide to the City. Istanbul: Redhouse, [Revised edition, 1987]

Excellent guide book: really conveys spirit of the city and what remains; reveals jewels for the intrepid walker and wanderer. But no bibliography or guide to further reading, and inadequate street maps though useful locational sketch plans.

Bernard Lewis
1963 Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.

Social and intellectual history in digestible quantity, but not illustrated.

Glanville Downey
1960 Constantinople in the Age of Justinian. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman.

Social context, but not illustrated. Much of the Byzantine city and churches have been revealed more recently through systematic archaeological excavation and laudible efforts of historic preservation.

Fanny Davis
1970 The Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.

Descriptive discussion of architecture of the palace, ceremonial and social functions of the imperial court. The extensive bibliography includes sources in Western languages as well as in Turkish.

1983 Byzantine Empire, National Geographic. December pp. 709-738.

Excellent photographs (of course), and presents Byzantium within the larger context of what survives in both Turkey and Greece.

Neset Eren
1969 The Art of Turkish Cooking, Or, Delectable Delights of Topkapi. Doubleday, Garden City.

One of the best Turkish cookbooks, a wonderful personal introduction to Turkish cuisine. Written for an American audience, it has listings of groceries where unusual ingredients may be purchased. Commentary accompanying each section and many recipes offers memories and explanation of the food within its social context.

Christopher Pick, ed.
1988 Embassy to Constantinople: The Travels of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. New Amsterdam, New York.

A Western woman's view of Istanbul, and life in the harem, from letters written by the wife of an ambassador to the sultan's court in the eighteenth century. Offers witty and descriptive accounts of life in the palace.

Esin Atil
1987 The Age of Suleyman the Magnificent. Harry N. Abrams, New York.

This volume attempts to recreate an age in all its artistic glory and splendor, even if at times presenting more of a peaceful balance than political circumstances suggest.

Cornell Fleischer
1987 Bureaucrat and Intellectual. Princeton University Press, Princeton.

A biography that presents in robust form the entire cultural life and intellectual history of the period.

Zeynep Celik
1987 The Remaking of Istanbul. University of Washington Press, Seattle.

Exploring the built form, city plans and projects, foreign criticism and local press accounts, Celik explores the transformation of the Ottoman Empire during a period of intense modernization and Westernization.

Compiled 12/84 by Carol Bier
Revised for The Textile Museum Travelers 12/88, 1/89, 5/91 by Carol Bier