The First of the Modern Ottomans
The Intellectual History of Ahmed Vasif

'Situating the historian Vasif within the revolving core of Ottoman modernity, Ethan L. Menchinger gives us a thoroughly researched and often entertaining book that uncovers the links between the Ottoman worldview, literary culture, and international power politics. This is an engagingly written, sympathetic portrait of a man at once immensely gifted and deeply flawed - an impressive work of new scholarship.' Douglas A. Howard, Professor of History, Calvin College

'This is the return of narrative history and the genre of biography with a vengeance, but a sweet vengeance at that. Based on painstaking research in scores of manuscripts and archival documents, it tells the story of the prolific and rather odious Ottoman chancery officer and court historian, Ahmed Vasif (d. 1806) … In short, this is a coming of modern age story, which is a must-read for Ottomanists and comparativists alike.' Dana Sajdi, Associate Professor of History, Boston College

'Although there are a few good biographies of well-known Ottoman bureaucrats and intellectuals, intimate accounts of Ottoman individuals have not proliferated in modern scholarship. Ethan L. Menchinger's The First of the Modern Ottomans is therefore a very welcome and well-executed contribution to this genre … [This is] required reading for all who want to understand the intellectual history of the period …' Hakan Karateke, Professor of Ottoman Turkish Culture, Language and Literature, University of Chicago