An English Consul in Turkey Paul Rycaut at Smyrna 1667-1678 [Hardcover]

The author and diplomat Sir Paul Rycaut (1629-1700) was the leading authority of his day on the Ottoman Empire. Drawing on a wide range of source material, this biogrpahical study gives the first reconstruction of his varied literary and official career. It also provides a lively account of the little-known but thriving English community at Smyrna during the eleven years of his consulship there.

The evidence of this deepley researched book is that Rycaut truly deserved his excellent reputation as an official and author. --American Historical Review

Anderson with the archival craftsmanship characteristic of an assistant keeper of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, portrays the factors and consuls against a Levantine backdrop....Anderson has mined and polished these [personal reflections], especially the illustrative vignette, with great care. --Albion

Presents a wealth of new and useful information....A refreshing change from the current glut of books in which heavy-handed analysis obtrudes....Anderson's book is a thoroughly researched and subtly argued work bursting with facts that support not only her principal arguments and conclusions, but supply grist for the mill of researchers with different interpretive bents. --Turkish Studies Association Bulletin

Anderson's valuable study casts new light upon many significant topics beyond the recognized significance of Paul Rycaut. The book offers a fascinating examination of complex business organizations and a most dynamic period in British mercantile history. --The Eighteenth Century: A CurrentBibliography