The Grand Turk

The historian and author of Strolling Through Istanbul presents a detailed portrait of the fifteenth century Ottoman sultan, revealing the man behind the myths. Sultan Mehmet II—known to his countrymen as The Conqueror, and to much of Europe as The Terror of the World—was once Europe's most feared and powerful ruler. Now John Freely, the noted scholar of Turkish history, brings this charismatic hero to life in evocative and authoritative biography. Mehmet was barely twenty-one when he conquered Byzantine Constantinople, which became Istanbul and the capital of his mighty empire. He reigned for thirty years, during which time his armies extended the borders of his empire halfway across Asia Minor and as far into Europe as Hungary and Italy. Three popes called for crusades against him as Christian Europe came face to face with a new Muslim empire. Revered by the Turks and seen as a brutal tyrant by the West, Mehmet was a brilliant military leader as well as a renaissance prince. His court housed Persian and Turkish poets, Arab and Greek astronomers, and Italian scholars and artists. In The Grand Turk, Freely sheds vital new light on this enigmatic ruler.

Comprised of 200 miles of fine white sand beaches bordering turquoise seas, the 40 islands of the Turks and Caicos (TCI) - historically seen as an appendage of the Bahamas - form a unique Caribbean archipelago.With a pleasant climate all year round, TCI is one of the world's top destinations for diving and snorkelling. With coral reef reaching depths of more than 7,000ft, TCI is world-renowned for its wall diving. Turks and Caicos Islands also reveals the islands' lesser-known terrestrial attractions. Soak up Bermudian architecture in the historical old capital, Cockburn Town; visit one of the best museums in the Caribbean, inspired by the oldest shipwreck in the Americas at Molasses Reef; or simply unwind on one of the country's idyllic beaches.

Turks Islands Landfall by H.E. Sadler is a well researched and authoritative account of the Islands' history from 1492 to the present time. It presents compelling evidence that it was Turks Islands where the Lucayan Indians first greeted Christopher Columbus; it brings together extensive material on the country's development of the salt trade, the Bermudian and Bahamian influences, as well as the American Loyalist settlements in the Islands. The book reveals the seafaring, shipwrecking and privateering history, and its entry into modern times. For students of Turks and Caicos and Caribbean history, it is an indispensable tool for study and research.

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!