Bøger af John Freely

Colourful, cosmopolitan, hard-drinking, often outrageous characters throng this rollicking memoir by the late John Freely, who moved with his family to Istanbul in 1960 and changed travel writing for good with his 1972 guide, Strolling Through Istanbul. Dozens of books on travel, history and science would follow.

The book is intended for the general reader with an interest in architecture, especially that of the Ottoman Turks, whose culture has left its mark not only on Turkey, but in the Balkans and throughout the Middle East.

Aladdin's Lamp is the fascinating story of how ancient Greek philosophy and science began in the sixth century B.C. and, during the next millennium, spread across the Greco-Roman world, producing the remarkable discoveries and theories of Thales, Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid, Archimedes, Galen, Ptolemy, and many others. John Freely explains how, as the Dark Ages shrouded Europe, scholars in medieval Baghdad translated the works of these Greek thinkers into Arabic, spreading their ideas throughout the Islamic world from Central Asia to Spain, with many Muslim scientists, most notably Avicenna, Alhazen, and Averroës, adding their own interpretations to the philosophy and science they had inherited. Freely goes on to show how, beginning in the twelfth century, these texts by Islamic scholars were then translated from Arabic into Latin, sparking the emergence of modern science at the dawn of the Renaissance, which climaxed in the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century.

Freely reveals a superb eye for the telling details. - The Independent

Long-awaited new edition, with superb coverage of all the major monuments, Classical, Christian and Islamic, with details on how to get around, food and accommodation.

Crete, the 'Great Island' of Greece, has been home to such figures as the legendary King Minos, El Greco and Nikos Kazantzakis. This title includes itineraries, covering the cities of Iraklion, Rethymnon and Chania; the great Minoan palaces at Knossos, Phaestos and Ayia Triadha plus Graeco-Roman ruins, Byzantine churches and Venetian churches.

Rising from the waters between Greece and Italy, the Ionians - peaks of an underwater mountain range - are some of the most culturally, historically and mythologically rich in all Greece. It consists of Consisting of Corfu, Paxos, Ithaka, Lefkas, Cephalonia, Zakynthos and Kythera. This book illuminates the history, and culture of these islands.

The Cyclades are the quintessential Greek isles, renowned for the beauty of their seascapes, their historical monuments and a unique way of life deeply rooted in the remote past of the Aegean. This guide to the Cyclades describes these enchanting islands.

The traveller gets exactly what he needs, and in a handy format. THE TIMES The author seems to have covered every road in the country, and has something of interest to say about virtually every site. COUNTRY LIFE

Istanbul's history is a catalogue of change, not least of name, yet it has managed to retain its own unique identity. John Freely captures the flavour of daily life as well as court ceremonial and intrigue. The book also includes a comprehensive gazetteer of all major monuments and museums. An in-depth study of this legendary city through its many different ages from its earliest foundation to the present day - the perfect traveller's companion and guide.