Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire

May 15, 2012

In this updated and expanded edition of his 2003 work, Somel (Ottoman history, Bilkent Univ., Turkey) charts the rise and decline of the Ottoman Empire. He opens with a chronology of events from 1040 to 1924 and a 30-plus-page introduction highlighting major happenings. The alphabetically arranged entries that follow cover historical, political, and cultural events and people in a readable manner. Finally, Somel offers a bibliography divided into subject areas such as "Foreign Relations and War," "Ottoman Classical Period," "Religion," and "Cultural Life," recognizing many sources published since the release of the first edition. These include Stephen Turnbull's The Ottoman Empire 1326-1699 (Routledge, 2003), which Somel recommends as a useful tool for English-speaking high school students, and Jason Goodwin's Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire (Holt, 1999), which he suggests as "an easy start." The exhaustive bibliography includes a listing of sources in French, German, and Turkish, so scholars and readers at all levels and backgrounds should find something of interest. VERDICT While the entries are brief, this volume provides adequate explanation and coverage of each subtopic. Libraries that serve advanced high school students as well as larger public and academic collections should consider it.--David Alperstein, Queens Borough P.L., Jamaica, NY

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.