WILDERNESS TRAVEL

Empires of the Sea

READING AND TRAVEL GUIDE

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Books for

The Epic Struggle Between the Ottoman Empire and European Powers for Control of the Mediterranean

Essential Reading

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Empires of the Sea

Empires of the Sea

by Roger Crowley

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

Crowley vividly reconstructs the epic clash between the Ottoman Empire and Christendom for the control of the Mediterranean -- and the soul of 16th-century Europe -- in this thrilling account of dramatic battles and brutality, rival faiths and larger-than-life personalities. (MED146, $16.00)

Lords of the Horizons

Lords of the Horizons

by Jason Goodwin

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 2003
  • PAPER
  • 351 PAGES

Goodwin artfully combines his modern travels with scholarship, history and reflection, capturing the outrageous personalities, events and vagaries of the 600-year-old Ottoman empire. (TKY44, $17.00)

The Venetian Empire, A Sea Voyage

The Venetian Empire, A Sea Voyage

by Jan Morris

  • TRAVEL NARRATIVE
  • 1990
  • PAPER
  • 200 PAGES

Morris reconstructs the whole of the glittering dominion of the Venetian Republic in this evocative account of a journey by sea along historic trade routes to the Adriatic and beyond. (ITL70, $24.95)

Mediterranean Explorer

Mediterranean Explorer

by Ocean Explorer Maps

  • 2006
  • MAP
  • BEST SELLER

This handy color map of the Mediterranean from Spain to the Black Sea and the Levant puts ancient sites and historic ports into context. With notable people, a timeline and descriptions of dozens of places across the classical world, this map serves equally well for Mediterranean and Black Sea cruises. (MED89, $11.95)

 
Crete

Crete


by John Freely

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

The definitive guide to the island of Crete and its archaeology, loosely organized as a leisurely visit. Freely interweaves travel information with a great deal about myths, legends and the history of the island in his narrative. (GRE03, $15.95)

Eyewitness Guide Croatia

Eyewitness Guide Croatia


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 296 PAGES

Gorgeously illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book offers a thorough overview of Croatia's history, traditions, cultures and sights. (BLK39, $23.00)

Eyewitness Guide Greek Islands

Eyewitness Guide Greek Islands


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 408 PAGES

Color photography, excellent local maps and an island-by-island synopsis of attractions make this book the one to carry with you. (GRE37, $28.00)

Eyewitness Guide Istanbul

Eyewitness Guide Istanbul


by Eyewitness Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2011
  • PAPER
  • 272 PAGES

This superb guide to Istanbul features color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a district-by-district synopsis of the city's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date, this is the guide to carry. (TKY86, $25.00)

Fodor's Venice's 25 Best

Fodor's Venice's 25 Best


by Citypack

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2012
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES
  • COMING IN MARCH

This shirt-pocket guide includes an excellent map of the city center and essential information. (ITL106, $12.99)

Knopf Mapguide Dubrovnik

Knopf Mapguide Dubrovnik


by Knopf Guides

  • GUIDEBOOK
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 48 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A practical pocket guide, featuring fold-out maps with restaurants, shops and attractions. (BLK96, $9.95)

1453, The Holy War For Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West

1453, The Holy War For Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West


by Roger Crowley

  • HISTORY
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 304 PAGES

In this well-paced history, Crowley recounts with drama the events surrounding the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks. (TKY114, $15.99)

Harem, The World Behind the Veil

Harem, The World Behind the Veil


by Alev Lytle Croutier

  • CULTURAL PORTRAIT
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 224 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

A fascinating illustrated look at the culture of the Harem -- particularly the well-known quarters at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The author combines interviews, history and a wonderful selection of art in this intriguing book. (ARB23, $25.00)

Hellenika Heritage and History


by T. Peter Limber

  • HISTORY
  • 1997
  • PAPER
  • 268 PAGES

A compact history of Greece, and especially the Greek people, from the Prehistoric period to the making of Modern Greece. Topics covered include the Homeric epics, Greek Settlements Abroad, The Byzantine Period, WWI, religion and many more. (GRE453, $30.50)

Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire

Istanbul and the Civilization of the Ottoman Empire


by Bernard Lewis

  • HISTORY
  • 1989
  • PAPER
  • 187 PAGES
  • FAVORITE

In this slim volume the great Islamic scholar describes the invasion of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks on May 29, 1453, evoking the city at this pivotal moment in its long history. (TKY17, $24.95)

Sea of Faith

Sea of Faith


by Stephen O'Shea

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 352 PAGES

O'Shea brings a traveler's eye and a poet's touch to this gripping tale of conquest, co-existence and conflict in the medieval Mediterranean. He focuses on seven key battles between Christians and Muslims from Yamuk (AD 636) to the Siege of Malta (1565). (MED95, $17.00)

The Middle Sea

The Middle Sea


by John Julius Norwich

  • HISTORY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 720 PAGES

A marvelous writer who has already tackled Byzantium, the Normans in Sicily and Venice, Norwich spins his magic in this story of culture, trade and politics, royalty and rulers, wars and religion in the Mediterranean. (MED98, $21.00)

The Ottoman Centuries

The Ottoman Centuries


by Lord Kinross

  • HISTORY
  • 1988
  • PAPER
  • 638 PAGES

A richly detailed, engrossing history of the Ottoman Empire from its dawn in 1300 up to the foundation of the modern republic in 1923, enhanced by maps and photos. (ITL54, $18.99)

The Sword and the Scimitar, The Saga of the Crusades

The Sword and the Scimitar, The Saga of the Crusades


by Ernle Bradford

  • HISTORY
  • 2004
  • PAPER
  • 192 PAGES
  • OUT OF PRINT

This slim book recounts the tide of pilgrims, knights, men-at-arms, priests, traders and peasants and the nearly two-century effort by the Knights to retake the Kingdom of Jerusalem. (REL58, $10.99)

The Templars, The History and the Myth

The Templars, The History and the Myth


by Michael Haag

  • HISTORY
  • 2009
  • PAPER
  • 384 PAGES

Haag investigates the origins and history, the enduring myths and the soaring architecture of this religious order of fighting knights. (MED149, $15.99)

Venice, a Maritime Republic

Venice, a Maritime Republic


by Frederic C. Lane

  • HISTORY
  • 1973
  • PAPER
  • 505 PAGES

Lane focuses on the history of trade, taking in not just on La Serenissima but also Dubrovink and the other cities of its once far-flung domain. (ITL24, $32.00)

Aegean Art and Architecture


by Donald Preziosi | Louise Hitchcock

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 2000
  • PAPER
  • 275 PAGES

An illustrated survey of Minoan and Mycenean art from the Neolithic to the extraordinary Bronze Age palaces of Knossos, Gournia and Phaistos. Great for any archaeology-minded traveler. (GRE113, $27.95)

Art of the Byzantine Era

Art of the Byzantine Era


by David Talbot Rice

  • ART & ARCHITECTURE
  • 1985
  • PAPER
  • 286 PAGES

Wide-ranging and literate, this thoroughly illustrated introduction to Byzantine art is an indispensable classic. (TKY22, $21.95)

Istanbul, Memories and the City

Istanbul, Memories and the City


by Orhan Pamuk

  • BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
  • 2006
  • PAPER
  • 320 PAGES

Nobel Prize-winner Pamuk writes with quiet grace of the city of his birth, celebrated in his many novels: a magical place of crumbling mansions and Ottoman riches, mingling Asian, Islamic, secular and European influences. (TKY99, $16.95)

The Castle of Otranto, A Gothic Story

The Castle of Otranto, A Gothic Story


by Horace Walpole

  • LITERATURE
  • 2008
  • PAPER
  • 176 PAGES

First published in 1764, Walpole's classic Gothic novel takes place in and around the 15th-century castle on the Adriatic. (ITL631, $8.95)

The Iliad

The Iliad


by Homer | Robert Fagles

  • LITERATURE
  • 2002
  • PAPER
  • 704 PAGES

In the excellent Fagles translation -- here presented in a deluxe paper edition -- Homer's Trojan epic hasn't aged a bit in the last 2,700 years. Take it along to Troy and the Aegean. We also carry Fagles's translation of The Odyssey. (Item no. GRE45, $17.00) (GRE173, $17.00)

The Ionian Mission

The Ionian Mission


by Patrick O'Brian

  • LITERATURE
  • 1991
  • PAPER
  • 368 PAGES

The eighth volume in the rousing Aubrey and Maturin series takes the commander and his naturalist sidekick into the eponymous Ionian Isles, getting them mixed up not only with the French navy but also in Ottoman af-fairs. (MED26, $14.95)

The Janissary Tree

The Janissary Tree


by Jason Goodwin

  • MYSTERY
  • 2007
  • PAPER
  • 336 PAGES

With beautiful descriptions of Istanbul and its palaces, this engaging and bizarre historical mystery will keep you reading. The Ottoman Empire mysteries continue with The Snake Stone (TKY156, $14.00) and The Bellini Card (TKY191, $25.00), set in 1840s Venice. (TKY125, $15.00)

Treason's Harbour

Treason's Harbour


by Patrick O'Brian

  • LITERATURE
  • 1992
  • PAPER
  • 334 PAGES

Stephen Maturin, Jack Aubrey and the crew of the H.M.S. Surprise contend with pirates and Napoleon's spies in this splendid novel set on and around Malta. (MLT16, $14.95)

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