The western shores of Turkey - Hardcover

John Freely

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719543843 ISBN 13: 9780719543845

Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd, 1988

Synopsis

The author of "Strolling Through Istanbul" and "The Companion Guide to Turkey" has combined in a single narrative his countless journeys over two decades along the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. His trips took him from the Hellespont and Gallipoli to Antakya, the ancient Antioch on the Syrian border. The book explores such fabled sites and cities as Troy, Ephesus, Pergamum, Izmir and Halicarnassus, where Herodotus was born. From there the author turns east through ancient Lycia, evoking the civilizations that once flourished along this coast, such as the Hittites, Mycenaeans, the Roman and Byzantine empires, the Crusaders, Turks, Mongols and the Ottoman empire.

About this title

About the Author

John Freely (1926 - 2017) was born in New York and joined the US Navy at the age of seventeen, serving during the last two years of World War II. He had a PhD in physics from New York University and did post-doctoral studies in the history of science at Oxford. He was for many years professor of physics at Bosphorus University in Istanbul, where he taught physics and the history of science. He wrote more than forty books, including Light from the East: How the Science of Medieval Islam Helped Shape the Western World (I.B.Tauris, 2010), The Grand Turk, Storm on Horseback, Children of Achilles, The Cyclades,The Ionian Islands (all I.B.Tauris), Crete, The Western Shores of Turkey, Strolling through Athens, Strolling through Venice and the bestselling Strolling through Istanbul (all Tauris Parke Paperbacks).

Review

*The knowledge and experience which [John Freely] has compressed into his book make it remarkably authoritative and comprehensive...the record of a journey undertaken by a man effortlessly able to convey in depth the meaning of what he sees.*--Marlena Frick, Scotsman, Edinburgh

*John Freely, in this highly informative book, aims to provide an informal guide to the archaeological sites and historical monuments of this beautiful part of Asia Minor...and to evoke the spirit of these places for those who are embarking upon their own odysseys...he succeeds admirably in both.*--Geoffrey Page, Going Places

*With modern map and classical atlas to hand he [John Freely] makes his way along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, skillfully merging past and present as he visits scores of ancient sites, quotes Herodotus and Homer, Sappho and Scripture, and provides detailed plans and useful appendices for like-minded travellers. For them it is to be hoped that a paperback version will soon be available.*--Church Times

*John Freely is the perfect guide to the fabled cities of Turkey's epic past bringing alive the many civilisations that once flourished along her Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. An essential book for all visitors to Western Turkey.*--Publishing News

About this edition

• Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0719543843
• ISBN 13: 9780719543845
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416