This epic account of Ottoman decline and the birth of modern Turkey is a tour de force of accessible scholarship.

Gingeras takes an even-handed approach to each issue, while never making light of the horrendous tally of human suffering that emerges on every side. Turks have long been treated to an over-simplified account of their modern history. This book teaches the beginning of wisdom, which is that most human history, as it actually happened, was a terrible, bewildering mess.

In his impressive centenary history, Ryan Gingeras recounts not just the death throes of the old realm but the painful emergence of Turkey as a nation state ... It is a complicated story that still reverberates under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Gingeras narrates it with lucid authority.

Dispassionate and well-researched ... Gingeras sets out the twisting, turning story of decline through the later part of the 19th century.

Fruitful reflections on the enduring cultural legacy of the Ottomans, how their empire ended and what was lost when it did ... brings a welcome human lens to the story of the empire's disintegration.

This book is a must for any strong, independent women who don't need no man in the gaff!

Genius

Gathered here is the Cork-born Londoner’s fund of home improvement tips and hacks along with a slick visual look by the sometimes-illustrator’s own hand

The thinking woman’s Instagram go-to for essential tips on all sorts of useful home advice, Laura De Barra’s taught us more than we ever knew we needed to know about how to properly clean a dishwasher filter, fix a faulty window lock and get stubborn marks off bathroom tiles. Hint: they’ll come off. They always come off.

Who knew that watching someone descale a dishwasher could be compelling viewing?

Accompanied by Laura's beautiful illustrations and her resident humour, it's a useful handbook to get you through any household emergency

I feel a curious joy of life when I am around David Tang. He knows best

A degree course in 21st-century decorum. It will make an aristocrat out of an arriviste

Sharply funny and surprisingly informative. I would rather read style notes from the pen of Tang than any other source on the planet

Eloquent and humorous

David is a life-changer

Filled with valuable advice. Amusingly written and a real pleasure to read

David Tang is the thinking woman's Fu Manchu. If you are allergic to the combination of wit, brains and mischief you won't enjoy this book

A marvellous compendium of good manners and good sense in society, reinforced with insight and sly humour

Anyone who wants to move up the social ladder, or avoid sliding down, must read Rules for Modern Life. It is the essential primer for 21st century social success

Hilarious and edifying. Absolutely essential reading about the nuances as well as the complexities of life today

I have long admired David's irrepressible humour, quick wit and keen eye for style. This anthology is a collection of indispensable wisdom

A perfect compendium of distinguished, humorous and polished advice for a gentlemanly way of living

David Tang has never held a commonplace opinion in his life. He is the most provocative, amusing, sophisticated, counter-intuitive and energetic man I know, and these qualities are present on every single page of this remarkable anthology

Wise, witty and wicked, with useful advice for living

David Tang is a living treasure, a unique polymath, equally at ease thinking inside and outside the box, East, West, modern, old, refined or not. His 'rules' are anything but conventional, they are refreshing and humorous reflections on our daily actions, much more than a code of conduct

Genuinely hilarious. David was the only person who could make my father laugh (and who incidentally rated him and only him as being at his level as a club owner)

David Tang is an astute observer of the social scene with a wicked sense of humour. A most welcome read in these dark times

David Tang is my 'UNCLE DAVE': Unique, Notorious, Charismatic, Lovable, Eccentric, Daring, Anal, Vivacious, Enigmatic

Can't wait to read it