From the rising of the sun

More about the book

For the better part of four centuries the Ottoman Empire was a menacing colossus, rising on Europe's eastern horizon. Fascinated by danger, European writers attempted to describe the Ottomans, and make sense out of Ottoman expansion westward. In the late sixteenth century, with the first contacts between England and the Ottoman Empire, English writers turned East, toward the rising sun, to create enduring images of the Ottomans and their world. By analyzing those images, and comparing them with Ottoman realities, this work adds to our understanding of European, English, and Ottoman history.