Ottoman Centuries: The Rise and Fall of the Turkish Empire

I'm not one that gives 5 stars too often, but this book deserved it. It's really well written, and it captivated my imagination quite often.The book is showing to be a bit outdated with some facts written by Lord Kinross, but i can't really blame him for it, since that would be unfair; it's not a book from 2020, so you shouldn't expect everything to be inside as we know about it today (some uncritical thinking about some lesser known Sultans etc...).If you want an overview for the Ottomans, it's a great book to start. Good ratio of politics, military and internal affairs, while not getting bogged down in any one of them.Recommended

This is a spectacular book. It gives an enourmous information, in not too many pages of a long period, describing the creation ofthe ottoman Empire, till his final demise, explaining the relationship with the other powers of time in a very clear an "non partisan"way. 15th and 16th centuries very densely and well explained.A book not to be missed.

This is a long book, covering a huge expanse of history - perhaps too much for a single book. The early stages are fascinating but, after Suleiman the Magnificent, when the decine begins, it becomes a bit of a drudge, following largely ridiculously incompetent and irrational Sultans, with the occasional bright spark to arrest the tide. Nevertheless, the story is intriguing and Lord Kinross does well to keep it in context in relation to the rise of the West. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read. Major drawbacks are the inadequacies of the maps, particularly as many of the names of places and regions are no longer in use.

I bought this book because I knew absolutely nothing about the history of the Ottoman Empire. This book is a well written account both for an academic and an armature historian. I can commend it as an informative but not difficult read. A little short on detail at the end but nevertheless informative.

Bought this as was going to Turkey, absolutely fantastic book, very interesting which keeps you hooked through the centuries. Only let down was the book fell apart after only a couple of days reading, which has never happened before to me.

Excellent tome. Well researched and written. This book is written in a manner that is straightforward to digest and thus holds the reader's interest in the subject.

I think, that as with any author that attempts a task on the scale of this book, you have to give them a celebratory hand simply for attempting such a feat. Such books by necessity make important reading, providing a structural framework as they do for understanding the geopolitical regions over the entire periods of the book.Likewise, authors have to make certain choices: what to include, and into what depth to go. It is my contention, that given how recent much of Ottoman history is, much greater depth could have been visited upon interesting aspects of their civilization away from the political chambers of the elites, and the battlefields of the armies they control. In the latter half of the book, Lord Kinross certainly seems to come more into his element, doubtlessly because he gained more detailed sources.So, certainly buy it and read it: if, like me, you are a lunch-time historian, then I expect you will gain a great deal from it. But don't be too surprised if it takes some time to get through the first half.

This is a book I will incorporate in public schools of all Muslim countries as syllabus. A superb account of Lord Kinross with absolute integrity to detail the ups and downs of Ottomans and giving true reasons. There is no hidden agenda and reader finds out what ACTUALLY HAPPENED in those medieval ages.