Turkey Books

Istanbul: Memories and the City

Orhan Pamuk

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Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A portrait, by turns intimate and panoramic, of one of the world’s great cities, by its foremost man of letters, author of the acclaimed novels Snow and My Name Is Red.

Blending reminiscence with history; family photographs with portraits of poets and pashas; art criticism, metaphysical musing, and, now and again, a fanciful tale, Orhan Pamuk invents an ingenious form to evoke his lifelong home, the city that forged his imagination. He begins with his childhood among the eccentric extended Pamuk family in the dusty, carpeted, and hermetically sealed apartment building they shared. In this place came his first intimations of the melancholy awareness that binds all residents of his city together: that of living in the seat of ruined imperial glories, in a country trying to become “modern” at the dizzying crossroads of East and West. This elegiac communal spirit overhangs Pamuk’s reflections as he introduces the writers and painters (among the latter, most particularly the German Antoine-Ignace Melling) through whose eyes he came to see Istanbul. Against a background of shattered monuments, neglected villas, ghostly backstreets, and, above all, the fabled waters of the Bosphorus, he presents the interplay of his budding sense of place with that of his predecessors. And he charts the evolution of a rich, sometimes macabre, imaginative life, which furnished a daydreaming boy refuge from family discord and inner turmoil, and which would continue to serve the famous writer he was to become. It was, and remains, a life fed by the changing microcosm of the apartment building and, even more, the beckoning kaleidoscope beyond its walls.

As much a portrait of the artist as a young man as it is an oneiric Joycean map of the city, Istanbul is a masterful evocation of its subject through the idiosyncrasies of direct experience as much as the power of myth--the dazzling book Pamuk was born to write.

Greek Islands (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

List Price: $25.00 By: DK Travel Amazon Marketplace: 26 new & used starting at $3.82

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

LOVED IT!!! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Loved the book! Had all of the infomration that we needed. Book was loaded with history, maps, key points of interest and interesting facts. It was an excellent guide for us as we toured the greek islands and gave us the best and key points to visit which helped us use our time most efficiently. Loved the Greek islands!

Overall, we got a lot of use out of our book and I would HIGHLY reccomend it!

Greek Islands 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

DK Eyewitness travel guides are the best on the market and this one does not disappoint.

Editorial Review:

Eyewitness Travel Guides are the original illustrated travel guidebooks-and they're still the best. Since 1993, the Eyewitness brand has established itself as one of the industry leaders, with sales of more than 6.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. Featuring more than 70 worldwide destinations, new titles are being added to the best-selling Eyewitness Travel Guides series each year. In 2003, to mark the 10th anniversary of the publication of Eyewitness Travel Guides, DK is re-launching the entire series, fully updated, and with a brand-new look.

A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller

Frances Mayes

Amazon Price: $15.73 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: audible.com

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Subjects -> Travel -> Africa -> Morocco
Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 54 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The author who unforgettably captured the experience of starting a new life in Tuscany in bestselling travel memoirs expands her horizons to immerse herself—and her readers—in the sights, aromas, and treasures of twelve new special places.

A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes—a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely locales, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs.

With her beloved Tuscany as a home base, Mayes travels to Spain, Portugal, France, the British Isles, and to the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the South of Italy, and North Africa. In Andalucía, she relishes the intersection of cultures. She cooks in Portugal, gathers ideas in the gardens of England and Scotland, takes a literary pilgrimage to Burgundy, discovers an ideal place to live in Mantova, and explores the essential Moroccan city of Fez. She rents houses among ordinary residents, shops at neighborhood markets, wanders the back streets, and everywhere contemplates the concept of home. While in Greece, she follows the classic Homeric voyage across the Aegean, lives in a bougainvillea-draped stone house in Crete, and then drives deep into the Mani. In Turkey with friends, she sails the ancient coast, hiking to archaeological sites and snorkeling over sunken Byzantine towns. Weaving together personal perceptions and informed commentary on art, architecture, history, landscape, and social and culinary traditions of each area, Mayes brings the immediacy of life in her temporary homes to the reader. An illuminating and passionate book that will be savored by all who loved Under the Tuscan Sun, A Year in the World is travel writing at its peak.

Turkey (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

Amazon Price: $16.50 List Price: $25.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: DK Travel Amazon Marketplace: 57 new & used starting at $9.00

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Subjects -> History -> Europe -> General AAS
Subjects -> Reference -> General
Subjects -> Reference -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A little light on the content 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

The guide has beautiful pictures, but I found it a little lacking in content, especially for the Ephesus area. If you are going on a cruise and stopping in Kusadasi as we did, we wanted information on the Kusadasi and Ephesus areas, including how to navigate ourselves through town, what the highlights are (where to focus our time) and how to get there, as well as some historical and background information. The little information this book did provide on Ephesus was something any taxi driver could have told us.

Good Supplement to a Human Guide 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This book looks nice, feels nice, and I suppose might taste nice. However, after living in Turkey for a year I found this book to be lacking in practical information. Eyewitness guides seemed to be geared more towards the tourist-on-a-tour rather than a person trying to make it on their own. There are three reasons I say this:
1) The hotel information is mainly for nicer establishments and there are not many listed.
2) The pictures are really nice, but there is not a lot of cultural, historical, or instructional information.
3) The book is really heavy making it a pain to carry around.

I also owned the Lonely Planet Turkey book and loved it, I would recommend it over the Eyewitness Guide. It got me to where I wanted to go and I found most of the information to be accurate. People I worked with also liked the Rough Guide of Turkey.

One other suggestion, if you are just headed to Istanbul, or plan to be in the country for a long period of time I would purchase both a Turkey guide and an Istanbul guide in order to save having to carry around a huge guidebook to the entire country.

Editorial Review:

From Greek and Roman ruins such as Ephesus to busting bazaars to virgin beaches, this guide brings the reader the best that Turkey has to offer. Includes extensive coverage of the different quarters of Istanbul and highlights places such as Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.

Istanbul (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

DK Publishing

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Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> Istanbul
Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> General
Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Informative and easy to read 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the best guide books I have ever read! SO easy to leaf through it and find exactly what one is looking for. The maps are well drawn and easy to navigate, and the photograph make the whole experience complete. I loved most the chapter on foods and drinks to be tasted in Istanbul. Will be a great guide to take along on my trip there.

Excellent giude 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I had never used this series of guidebooks before, so I did not know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised during my recent visit to Istanbul in June of 2007.

The main selling points of these DK guides are the superior maps and illustrations of tourist attractions. Major museums, mosques and palaces are shown in detail, with drawings and photos of the interior and exterior, as well as nicely illustrated historical tidbits. For doing the touristy things like visiting major attractions and taking pictures, this guide is great.

I am not sure how good this guide is when it comes to restaurants and nightlife. I did not explore that side of Istanbul as much, and what I saw did not impress me much.

Overall, I think I would have preferred a guide geared more towards active young people with a slightly cynical edge - this guide seemed to present everything as pretty and somewhat sterile. From what I saw, Istanbul definitely has an interesting culture that this guide did not fully capture.

Overall, good guidebook, and highly recommended. Read it ahead of time to know where the main sites and activities that interest you are located. Then do some more research online for good hotels to stay in - online reviews are more up to date.

Rick Steves' Istanbul

Lale Surmen Aran, Tankut Aran

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Not yet published By: Avalon Travel Publishing

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Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> Turkey -> Istanbul
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Not the Best, But Good 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

This guide will probably be appreciated most by readers who are one-time visitors, have a few days in Istanbul, are not particularly interested in the history of the city, don't want to spend much money, and want to see the major sites, in other words the average tourist.

For visitors who want more, a better general guide to the city try Istanbul (Eyewitness Travel Guides), and for those truly interested in the city, buy any of the books by John Freely, an American ex-pat who has lived in Istanbul for more than 40 years. Examples: Istanbul: The Imperial City and John Freely's Istanbul.

Editorial Review:

Who but Rick Steves can tell travelers the best ways to visit Istanbul's world-renowned Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace, explore the waters of the Bosphorus, and bargain hunt through famous bazaars. With Rick Steves' Istanbul, travelers can experience everything Istanbul, has to offer - economically and hassle-free. European destination website, for insight on hotels, restaurants, sights, and culture * Contains color maps and photos

America's #1 authority on travel to Europe, Rick's time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience.

Lonely Planet Turkey

Pat Yale, Verity Campbell, Richard Plunkett

List Price: $24.99 By: Lonely Planet Publications Amazon Marketplace: 5 new & used starting at $4.93

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 38 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

american living in turkey- great guide 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Come ivsit Turkey and use Lonely Planet to help you with your tour! I have lived in Turkey for a year. The Lonely Planet goes everywhere with us...it is worn and bent and highlighted and marked up and excellent. We have been completely happy with all the suggestions from LP. Here is the thing. Turkey is a fabulous country, however, there are a few things LP cannot control.

1. The prices are inaccurate but that is not LPs fault. The Lira is very unstable and has had an outragous inflation rate. Also, you have to be good at bargaining to get a good rate and most of us Westerners are uncomforatble with this.

2. Directions/ getting around....the majority of Turks rely on public transportation. There are VERY FEW road signs if you are driving. LPs maps are great, but unfortunately hard to follow without signs. I know people are sometimes frustrated with the bus routes...they can be inconvienent and drop off in the middle of the night, and hard to find your way around if you don't speak Turkish....again not LPs fault. Just keep asking for someone who speaks English to help you and the hospitable people of Turkey will find someone.

I find LPs history background one of the best things about it. It is just enough to get you interested in seeing a place and you can supplement it by GOING to the museums. We have been 100% satisfied, but you must have realiztic expectations.

Editorial Review:

Note from Publisher: This is the old edition of Lonely Planet's guide to Turkey.

Lonely Planet's wonderful new edition of Turkey may be found by typing the ISBN number, 1740596838, into the search box.

The fantastic new 9th edition contains a new full-color highlights section and Itineraries chapter focusing on recommended routes and classic trips, comprehensive Culture, History and Environment chapters for informed travel, plus background information on major historical sites such as Troy, and a dedicated Food & Drink chapter highlighting Turkey's famous cuisine. We invite you to check it out!

Insight Guides Turkey

Amazon Price: $15.61 List Price: $22.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Insight Guides Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $14.24

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Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Cross cultural lifeline. 5 out of 5 stars.
33 of 33 people found this review helpful.

Insight guides offer a rich history, political analysis and cultural insight to the countries they cover. By using locally based writers they get the insiders view of what the various camps believe in. For a discerning traveller who wants to know about the country, the people, geography, food, industry etc and for those who wish to travel independently, this is the book to read. It is not tourist guide which says stay here, eat this menu, see this statue. All that is left to the standard tourist guide writers. If you never travel to a country, you can know it through the insight guide. Because Muslim and Turkish cultures are so different from ours (and Turkish is different to Arabic Muslim) it is important to be aware of the behaviours that are considered polite and those that are considered to be rude. This book equips you to deal courteously with salesmen who would be considered pushy by western standards. Did you know for instance that it is rude to kiss your partner in the street in Turkey (or any muslim country) even if it is only a peck on the cheek -whereas it is polite for men to kiss each other in public. Why were Turks feared by all of Europe for seven hundred years? Why do the Greeks still hate them with such passion (if you want to insult a Greek just call him a Turk and see the reaction). For depth of analysis on culture, history and geography, to understand what makes the people tick, you should read this book. Then if you travel to Turkey you may, like me, find the Turks to be the friendliest people you have ever met. You may also understand why such friendly people are capable of being represented in quite a different way in Movies like Midnight Express. Vive la difference!

Editorial Review:

Fully revised and updated, this book includes a section detailing Turkey's history, 5 features covering aspects of the country's life and culture, ranging from the amazingly varied cuisine to the stupendous Bosphorus skyline, a region by region visitor's guide to the sights, and a comprehensive Travel Tips section packed with essential contact addresses and numbers. This title also includes hundreds of full-colour photographs and 21 maps.

A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey

Clyde E. Fant, Mitchell G. Reddish

Amazon Price: $19.79 List Price: $29.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $17.14

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Subjects -> Religion & Spirituality -> Christianity -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Nearly two-thirds of the New Testament--including all of the letters of Paul, most of the book of Acts, and the book of Revelation--is set outside of Israel, in either Turkey or Greece. Although biblically-oriented tours of the areas that were once ancient Greece and Asia Minor have become increasingly popular, up until now there has been no definitive guidebook for these important sites. In A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey, two well-known, well-traveled biblical scholars offer a fascinating historical and archaeological guide to these sites. The authors reveal countless new insights into the biblical text while reliably guiding the traveler through every significant location mentioned in the Bible. The book completely traces the journeys of the Apostle Paul across Turkey (ancient Asia Minor), Greece, Cyprus, and all the islands of the Mediterranean. A description of the location and history of each site is given, followed by an intriguing discussion of its biblical significance. Clearly written and in non-technical language, the work links the latest in biblical research with recent archaeological findings. A visit to the site is described, complete with easy-to-follow walking directions, indicating the major items of archaeological interest. Detailed site maps, historical charts, and maps of the regions are integrated into the text, and a glossary of terms is provided. Easy to use and abundantly illustrated, this unique guide will help visitors to Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus to appreciate the rich history, significance, and great wonder of the ancient world of the Bible.

Frommer's Turkey (Frommer's Complete)

Lynn A. Levine

Amazon Price: $23.99 List Price: $23.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Frommer's Amazon Marketplace: 31 new & used starting at $0.22

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Subjects -> Travel -> Asia -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go—they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us!

Frommer's Turkey, 4th Edition explores the highlights of a country that is an amazing and diverse treasure trove of architectural styles and ancient ruins, most of which are still being excavated. You'll learn how to navigate the chaotic bustle of Istanbul, buy a rug and get the best deal, find the best and most undiscovered ruins, and the ins and outs of getting a Turkish bath. Readers also get language and etiquette tips, exact prices and directions, logistical advice, detailed two-color maps, and much more.