Author:Geert Mak,Sam Garrett
Istanbul's Galata Bridge has spanned the Golden Horn since the sixth century AD, connecting the old city with the more Western districts to the north. But the bridge is a city in itself, peopled by merchants and petty thieves, tourists and fishermen, and at the same time a microcosmic reflection of Turkey as the link between Asia and Europe.
Geert Mak introduces us to the cigarette vendors and the best pickpockets in Europe, to the pride of the cobbler and the tea-seller's homesickness, and interweaves their stories with vignettes illuminating the extraordinary history of Istanbul and Turkey.
Charming and learned, The Bridge is a delightful book from the author of the acclaimed international bestseller In Europe.
This gem of a history book is slim enough to squeeze into the smallest piece of carry-on luggage but contains a wealth of stories about Istanbul's famous Galata bridge...Weaving the long history of the bridge with those who populate it today, the sensitive Mak shines a light on contemporary Turkey and its changing relationship with the rest of Europe
—— Sunday TelegraphGeert Mak introduces us to the city's denizen and history, stressing the symbolic importance of the bridge to a nation that sees itself as the meeting place between Europe and Asia
—— London Review of BooksGeert Mak's thoughtful travelogue sketches out Istanbul's past, and provides a touching portrait of its present inhabitants... his thoughtful, beautifully written book is suffused with respect for the richness of the individual life
—— IndependentStories from the heart of a travelogue written with sympathy and acute observation
—— Financial TimesPart history lesson, part cultural essay, The Bridge's slender size does not diminish it's riches
—— Viola Fort , GuardianBernard Donoughue's superb Downing Street diaries
—— Matthew D'Ancona , Sunday TelegraphAn absorbing political thriller written by someone on the inside track
—— Brian MacArthur , Daily TelegraphDonoughue's diaries of the death rattles of Labour's last administration should be essential reading at No. 10. Books such as this rise far above mere political gossip: they are essential reading for any member of British government
—— Dominic Lawson , Sunday TimesHistorical biography's newest star
—— BooksellerHis conclusions neatly balance the equally pertinent questions of why Communist systems collapse, and why they lasted so long
—— Stephen Howe , IndependentOne of Britain's leading experts on communism provides a grimly humorous and richly anecdotal study
—— George Pendles , Financial Times, History books of the yearScholarly, well-paced and critical...few can match him for insider knowledge
—— Tristram Hunt , Sunday TimesBalanced, insightful, illuminated by intriguing detail and flashes of humour, this worldwide panorama is a miracle of compression
—— Christopher Hirst , IndependentThis superb book gives the history of the ideology and the reasons for its decline
—— Simon Heffer , TelegraphIt reads like Sovietology rendered by John le Carré
—— Timothy SnyderThe book is well written with flashes of mordant humour and sufficient records of personal foibles and institutional stupidity to keep the reader going through some dreadful moments of human history
—— Political Studies Review
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