---
product_id: 5123953
title: "Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire"
price: "€ 44.97"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.sk/products/5123953-osmans-dream-the-history-of-the-ottoman-empire
store_origin: SK
region: Slovakia
---

# Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

**Price:** € 44.97
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
- **How much does it cost?** € 44.97 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.sk](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/5123953-osmans-dream-the-history-of-the-ottoman-empire)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire [Finkel, Caroline] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

Review: Fascinating history book - Fascinating read with amazing details. My history fix!
Review: A detailed, comprehensive history - Finkel's history of the Ottoman empire is certainly comprehensive in scope, encompassing the empire from its origins in the late middle-ages to the rise of Ataturk. Yet I begrudgingly give it four stars. While the scope and scale of the Ottoman empire is presented in detail, there was an ebb and flow to the relative strength of her writing, which was distracting. The first quarter of the history is remarkable - I assume this is Finkel's area of expertise, given the detail of the political, religious and social climate of Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean in the 13th and 14th centuries. How Osman began to exploit the various divisions of competing ethnic groups, religions, and constantly shifting political loyalties is shown masterfully. With such a strong start, I was disappointed in her treatment of the founding and expansion of the empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. Recognizing that this is an *Ottoman* history, I had expected more detail and information on the conquest and occupation of the Balkans, the political competition between Hungary, Poland, Habsburg Austria and the mariatime powers of Venice and Genoa. These states were of course disucssed, but I had expected a deeper, more nuanced historical analysis of the complex econcomic and political competition between each of them. Thankfully Finkel again finds her footing as she writes about the 18th and 19th centuries - in fact, her discussion of the slow and painful implosion of the Ottoman empire was, to me at least, the best part of the book as she intertwines the various causes of its decline: increased econcomic competition from industrializing European nations, the influx of silver from the New World, new shipping routes to India and Asia, the adoption of "real politik" by European nation-states (and the reluctance to do so by the Ottomans), growing national movements within the Ottoman empire, and of course the overall reluctance by the Janissaries and ulaema to embrace change and moderinzation in any form. In writing, the amount of historical detail is almost overwhelming - repeatedly I had to remind myself what the larger point being made was given the sheer volume of information she shares. Clearly she is writing for an academic audience, something potential customers may want to keep in mind. In writing for an academic audience, I was disappointed at the relative lack of primary sources she used in her research and writing; many sources are translations or are cited in previously published works. All criticism aside, this is a densely detailed work, with a comprehensive view of the Ottoman empire, and a solid history of an important empire in world history.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #58,143 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #6 in Turkey History (Books) #54 in World War I History (Books) #71 in Middle Eastern Politics |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars (459) |
| Dimensions  | 6 x 2 x 9.25 inches |
| Edition  | 3/25/07 |
| ISBN-10  | 0465023975 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0465023974 |
| Item Weight  | 1.6 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 674 pages |
| Publication date  | April 24, 2007 |
| Publisher  | Basic Books |

## Images

![Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81o-6IN+N8L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating history book
*by D***L on September 5, 2025*

Fascinating read with amazing details. My history fix!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A detailed, comprehensive history
*by D***N on October 18, 2008*

Finkel's history of the Ottoman empire is certainly comprehensive in scope, encompassing the empire from its origins in the late middle-ages to the rise of Ataturk. Yet I begrudgingly give it four stars. While the scope and scale of the Ottoman empire is presented in detail, there was an ebb and flow to the relative strength of her writing, which was distracting. The first quarter of the history is remarkable - I assume this is Finkel's area of expertise, given the detail of the political, religious and social climate of Anatolia and the eastern Mediterranean in the 13th and 14th centuries. How Osman began to exploit the various divisions of competing ethnic groups, religions, and constantly shifting political loyalties is shown masterfully. With such a strong start, I was disappointed in her treatment of the founding and expansion of the empire in the 15th and 16th centuries. Recognizing that this is an *Ottoman* history, I had expected more detail and information on the conquest and occupation of the Balkans, the political competition between Hungary, Poland, Habsburg Austria and the mariatime powers of Venice and Genoa. These states were of course disucssed, but I had expected a deeper, more nuanced historical analysis of the complex econcomic and political competition between each of them. Thankfully Finkel again finds her footing as she writes about the 18th and 19th centuries - in fact, her discussion of the slow and painful implosion of the Ottoman empire was, to me at least, the best part of the book as she intertwines the various causes of its decline: increased econcomic competition from industrializing European nations, the influx of silver from the New World, new shipping routes to India and Asia, the adoption of "real politik" by European nation-states (and the reluctance to do so by the Ottomans), growing national movements within the Ottoman empire, and of course the overall reluctance by the Janissaries and ulaema to embrace change and moderinzation in any form. In writing, the amount of historical detail is almost overwhelming - repeatedly I had to remind myself what the larger point being made was given the sheer volume of information she shares. Clearly she is writing for an academic audience, something potential customers may want to keep in mind. In writing for an academic audience, I was disappointed at the relative lack of primary sources she used in her research and writing; many sources are translations or are cited in previously published works. All criticism aside, this is a densely detailed work, with a comprehensive view of the Ottoman empire, and a solid history of an important empire in world history.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The new standard in Ottoman scholarship
*by W***D on March 11, 2013*

Finkle's Osman's Dream fits an important need for English-speaking readers to understand the fundamental historical, cultural and social aspects of the modern Middle East. Today's problems and their solutions ultimately originate in the Ottoman Empire, a complicated but understandable multicultural political system that directly affected our European world for 600 years. The author has updated the scholarship of the subject by using a multitude of secondary (and some primary) sources, she has avoided describing the modern difficulties of the Ottomans, as European writers so often have, wondering " Why aren't they just like us?" She writes well, holds to a clear outline, and ends, as she begins, with the center of the Empire being not in Europe or the Balkans but in Anatolia, today modern Turkey. At the end she identifies several of Turkey's continuing problems, as with the whole of the Middle East, a lasting legacy of the Ottomans. The book can be enjoyed by the critical reader and should be a centerpiece of any upper division college class on the history of Turkey or the Modern Middle East.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
- The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600
- The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.sk/products/5123953-osmans-dream-the-history-of-the-ottoman-empire](https://www.desertcart.sk/products/5123953-osmans-dream-the-history-of-the-ottoman-empire)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Slovakia*
*Store origin: SK*
*Last updated: 2026-03-10*