''Constantinople'' ( it, Costantinopoli) is a non-fiction travelogue book by

Edmondo de Amicis Edmondo De Amicis (; 21 October 1846 – 11 March 1908) was an Italian novelist, journalist, poet, and short-story writer. His best-known book is ''Cuore'', a children's novel translated into English as '' Heart''. Early career Born in Oneglia ...

published in 1877 regarding

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, now

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Release

The first edition was published in 1877. The original work had two volumes. Cesare Biseo illustrated an 1882 edition, and Brambilla wrote that this one "will help shape the European imagination towards Istanbul, and the Orient in general." Multiple translations were derived from the Biseo version. In 2013 a new English translation by Stephen Parkin was released. A Turkish translation under the title ''İstanbul'' was published by

Pegasus Yayınları Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

Reception

Alberto Brambilla of

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de So ...

wrote that the publication of the book and its reception were evidence of Amicis being "one of the best-known Italian authors abroad".Brambilla, p. 185.

Orhan Pamuk Ferit Orhan Pamuk (born 7 June 1952) is a Turkish novelist, screenwriter, academic, and recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. One of Turkey's most prominent novelists, his work has sold over thirteen million books in sixty-three lang ...

has called De Amicis's work the best book written about Istanbul in the nineteenth century,Edmondo De Amicis, ''Constantinople'', Einaudi, 2007, cover. while

Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel '' The Name of th ...

stated that De Amicis' description of the city was the most cinematic,Edmondo De Amicis, ''Constantinople'', Einaudi, 2007, p. VI. and himself used the guide when visiting Constantinople. Jason Goodwin has described the work as a real

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

''tour de force''. PD Smith of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' wrote that the book is "A wonderfully eloquent account". William Armstrong in ''

Hürriyet Daily News The ''Hürriyet Daily News'', formerly ''Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review'' and ''Turkish Daily News'', is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey, founded in 1961. The paper was bought by the Doğan Media Group in 2001 and ...

'' called it "An orientalist bore" with "annoyingly purple prose". Armstrong stated "it isn’t clear what distinguishes De Amicis’ memoir from the dozens of similar tomes written by intrepid Europeans at the time."

References

* - The document includes an extended English abstract.

Notes

External links

*
Constantinople
', 1896 English translation by Caroline Tilton, also at

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Harvard U copy
an
University of Michigan copy
*
Constantinople Volume I
', 1896 English translation by Maria Hornor Lansdale,

Merrill and Baker Merrill may refer to: Places in the United States *Merrill Field, Anchorage, Alaska *Merrill, Iowa * Merrill, Maine *Merrill, Michigan *Merrill, Mississippi, an unincorporated community near Lucedale in George County *Merrill, Oregon *Merrill, Wis ...

alternate printing by
Henry T. Coates & Co.
Alternate links at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...

*
Constantinople Volume II
', 1896 English translation by Maria Hornor Lansdale, Henry T. Coates & Co.
Alternate links at

* {{in lang, fr
Constantinople
', translated by Mrs. J. Colombe, Hachette et Compagnie, 1878
Also at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

1877 books Istanbul Works about the Ottoman Empire Travel books Orientalism Italian-language books Eastern culture