The History of the Present State of the Ottoman Empire. Containing the maxims of the Turkish Polity, the Most Material points of the Mahometan Religion, their Sects and Heresies, their Convents and Religious Vortaries.

FIFTH EDITION. 1 vol., 7-1/2" x 4-7/8", (vii)406pp.(iii), with the engraved frontis and 25 full page engraved illustrations, complete, bound in fine full contemporary speckled calf over cords. Internally clean and bright, upper hinges just starting, head of spine rubbed with loss, overall a VERY GOOD copy in a contemporary binding. The History of the Present State of the Ottoman Empire is one of the most influential early English accounts of the Ottoman Empire. Rycaut was a British diplomat and traveler who served as the secretary to the English ambassador in Constantinople and later as the British consul in Smyrna.His first-hand experiences allowed him to provide a detailed and relatively accurate depiction of Ottoman society, government, and military affairs during the mid-17th century.