Everybody knows that the Ottoman Empire was one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. However, it is unfortunate that it is generally ignored by historians and history lovers, in spite of the fact that it lasted more than 600 years and stretched, at their greatest, from Hungary to the Persian Gulf, and from North Africa to the Caucasus. In this list, we compiled the 10 best Ottoman Empire books for you.
10. The Ottoman Empire, 1700-1922 (by Donald Quataert)
This book examines the major trends during the latter years of the empire; it pays attention to gender issues and to hotly-debated topics such as the treatment of minorities.
9. The Ottoman Empire, 1300-1650: The Structure of Power (by Colin Imber)
This book basically helps us understand how the Ottoman Empire came to exist and its early years.
8. Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire (by Jason Goodwin)
The book, Lords of the Horizons, tells us the real history of the Ottoman Empire from the Crusades to the Dardenelles, from the first campaigns to the Charge of the Light Brigade, and brings to life innumerable aspects of Ottoman life, caravans carrying parcels of spice and bags of gold, Western emissaries witnessing executions, distant sentries on far frontiers, jewels, meals, shadow plays and stray dogs. A history, a journey, and a world all in one.
7. A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire (by M. Sukru Hanioglu)
A Brief History of the Late Ottoman Empire is a must-read book for anyone trying to understand the legacy left in this empire's ruins--a legacy the world still grapples with today.
6. The Ottoman Age of Exploration (by Giancarlo Casale)
In this book, we see the various invasions, conquests and the Ottoman struggle to make the empire as large as possible.
5. The Decline and Fall of the Ottoman Empire (by Alan Palmer)
This book helps us understand the fall of one of the largest empire from the failure to take Vienna in 1683, and to the abolition of the Sultanate by Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) in 1922.
4. Subjects of the Sultan: Culture and Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire (by Suraiya Faroqhi)
This book is basically about how the life in the Ottoman empire was and how the Ottomans lived and died.
3. A Peace to End All Peace (by David Fromkin)
This book basically helps us understand the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the Modern Middle East.
2. The Ottoman Empire and the World Around It (by Suraiya Faroqhi)
Suraiya Faroqhi's book, The Ottoman Empire and the World Around It, is based on a huge study of early and original modern sources, including, geographical, travel writings and diplomatic records, as well as personal accounts.
1. Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire (by Caroline Finkel)
It's one of the best books on the Ottoman Empire, telling the full story of the Ottoman dynasty that for six centuries held sway over territories stretching, at their greatest, from Hungary to the Persian Gulf, and from North Africa to the Caucasus.