Having visited Istanbul several times, I was looking forward to this book which had received positive reviews from several national sources. I must admit however, that my expectations were not met. It might be that the author attempts to cover too much of history in this sever hundred plus page tome. Starting at 800,000 BC-no, I am not kidding- Ms. Hughes provides us with information on the earliest settlements, how drastic weather created the area, etc. While that is of interest to a certain group, the three main areas of concentration are the time from Severus and Constantine, the Byzantine and of course, the time of the Ottomans.
Barry J. Klazura
With a Masters Degree in Guerrilla Warfare and Totalitarianism, Mr. Klazura was well prepped for a career in Sales and General Management, consulting on corporate startups and turnarounds as well as lecturing on history and politics. For the past twenty years he has focused on being a financial advisor and consulting.
