I just checked, and we haven't done this since May.
Before the Dawn by Nicholas Wade. Anyone interested in human evolution needs this book.
Osman's Dream:The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel. You must understand the Ottomans to understand today's Balkans and Middle East.
Sailing from Byzantium: How a Lost Empire Shaped the World by Colin Wells. Poor Byzantines are always short-changed.
A Rage for Falcons by Stephen Bodio. Actually a re-read as I got this copy in 1998. As the token non-falconer in these parts I have to struggle to keep up. I so associate Steve with New Mexico that it shocked me to realize this was written shortly after he moved there and most of his field stories come from New England.
Mani: Travels in the Southern Peloponnese by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Leigh Fermor is the best, ask Steve.
3 comments:
To "Mani" and Nicholas Wade, two enthusastic thumbs up. Leigh- Fermor may be my favorite writer period.
Curiously, I am also reading two Turkic/ Byzantine books-- different ones! I'll post more on this shortly.
"Osman's Dream" is very good and thorough. I should probably also get Lord Kinross' "Ottoman Centuries". If I recall correctly from "Three Letters from the Andes" Kinross was a friend of Leigh Fermor's. "Sailing from Byzantium" is a small, high-level view, but is broken logically into three sections: the influence of Byzantine culture on Western Europe, Islam, and Slavic culture.
"The Ottoman Centuries" is indeed worthwhile. I haven't read it cover to cover, but I read many chapters years ago. It's scope is so vast, that might be the best way to read it. I focused on the invasions of Romania and Hungary, Janos Hunyadi, Vlad Tepes and that lot. Stirring stuff!
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