From Herodotus to Freya Stark, writers have been inspired by Turkey, a varied country at the crossroads of history, for millennia. Here, Richard Stoneman describes in lively detail the remarkable literature they produced. At a time when Turkey's position on the fringe may be set to change to a deeper involvement in Europe, the need to understand the country is even more compelling. The range of travel writing represented in this book shows how, while political circumstances may change, the lure of Turkey remains constant.