The masterpiece Beauties of the Bosphorus by English author Julia Pardoe has been republished by Demirören Publishing in a special edition enriched with 80 color engravings. Speaking about the book, Emin Nedret İşli, President of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, said:
“This is a very special, valuable, and rare book that portrays all the past beauties of Istanbul, both through Pardoe’s writings and through the engravings by Bartlett. With its orientalist perspective depicting the beauties of Istanbul and the East, this book has attracted great interest both in the West and in the East.”
First published in 1838, Beauties of the Bosphorus—written by Julia Pardoe—has been brought back to light with the contribution of Demirören Publishing. Presenting the architecture, daily life, social fabric, and the Bosphorus of Ottoman Istanbul through both prose and 80 hand-colored engravings, the work serves as a special archival treasure for lovers of history, art, and literature. Known as a poet and writer, Pardoe first published The City of the Sultan and later, inspired by her impressions of Istanbul, penned her second major work Beauties of the Bosphorus. This work gained great popularity not only in the West but also in the East and was soon translated into several languages, including French, German, and Italian, entering the world’s literary heritage.
Emin Nedret İşli described the work as:
“Beauties of the Bosphorus is a masterpiece with engravings by William Henry Bartlett, written by Miss Julia Pardoe about Istanbul. I have known many collectors who have pursued this book for years, eager to add it to their libraries. For decades, antiquarians like us have brought copies of Pardoe’s book from Europe and abroad through auctions and antique bookshops, delivering them to collectors. It is one of the pride pieces of both our antiquarian market and Istanbul publishing.”
Pardoe, a Western poet and writer who had a short life, visited Istanbul, was enchanted by its beauty, and wrote two remarkable books. After The City of the Sultan created a sensation in the West, she authored Beauties of the Bosphorus. Its first edition in 1838 had a great impact on illustrated book publishing in the West, inspiring many other works. With its orientalist portrayal of Istanbul and the East, it gained wide acclaim in both East and West for its detailed observations of 19th-century Istanbul, including tradesmen’s life, social customs, and urban characteristics. This led to translations into German, French, Italian, and other languages shortly after its release.
İşli noted that the book was reprinted twice after its initial 1838 publication due to its importance and popularity. The final edition in 1854 included updates on certain social and political developments in the Ottoman Empire. The edition published by Demirören Publishing is based on this 1854 version, containing the additional sections along with the original engravings. He also emphasized that hand-colored engravings are rarer and more valuable than black-and-white ones, and that Demirören’s edition carefully reproduced the engravings in color. Featuring a foreword by the esteemed Doğan Hızlan, this edition is both a visual feast and a collector’s item.
Demirören Publishing editor Mehmet H. Çelik highlighted that one of the most distinctive features of the work is that it was written by a woman:
“Travel books about Istanbul were mostly written by men. In the 16th century and onward, especially during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottoman Empire—and Istanbul in particular—attracted great interest. Julia Pardoe, as a historian, poet, and novelist, wrote a much more technically refined book. She could enter spaces, such as harems, where male travelers had no access, and describe her impressions from a female English aristocrat’s perspective. William Henry Bartlett’s engravings are among the most famous and popular of the period. The writing of the book coincides with the reign of Sultan Mahmud II. Beauties of the Bosphorus is one of the beautiful, elegant books published by Demirören Publishing—perfect for a coffee table, with a fine binding and high-quality paper.”
Demirören Yayınları, Prof. Dr. Süleyman Berk’in hazırladığı ‘İlahi Çizgiler: Hat Sanatının Öncüleri’ adlı eseri okurlarla buluşturdu. Eser, geçmişten günümüze hat sanatına yön veren büyük ustaların hayatlarını, eserlerini ve estetik miraslarını bir araya getiriyor. Kitapla ilgili konuşan Prof. Dr. Süleyman Berk, “Hat sanatının gelişiminde bir hocadan meşk almak çok önemlidir. Bu birinci yoldur. Ancak ikinci yol da ondan ayrılmaz: Eskiden yapılmış güzel eserleri incelemek. Bu nedenle, kitabın hat sanatı yolculuğuna çıkan sanatçılar için yol gösterici olacağına inanıyorum. Demirören Yayınları da bu kitabı özenli bir şekilde basarak önemli bir hizmet yerine getirdi. Benim de temennim, bu eserin okuyucular için faydalı olmasıdır” dedi.
The book "Syria in the Era of Sultan Abdulhamid II" , featuring photographs from Ottoman-era Syria, has been presented to history enthusiasts by Demirören Publishing. Containing texts in Turkish, English, and Arabic, the book includes 200 black-and-white and colorized photographs specially compiled from the Yıldız Photography Albums, prepared by order of Sultan Abdulhamid II. The work showcases documentary photographs ranging from the construction process of the Hejaz Railway to the old streets of Damascus, from the magnificent caravanserais of Aleppo to the silent ancient cities of the desert
The masterpiece Beauties of the Bosphorus by English author Julia Pardoe has been republished by Demirören Publishing in a special edition enriched with 80 color engravings. Speaking about the book, Emin Nedret İşli, President of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, said: “It is a very special, valuable, and rare book that depicts all the past beauties of Istanbul both through Pardoe’s writings and through the engravings made by Bartlett. With its orientalist perspective portraying the beauties of Istanbul and the East, this book has attracted great interest both in the West and in the East.”
The stories depicted on the walls of the Chora Church (Kariye Mosque)—considered the last masterpiece of Byzantine art and given its present form in the 14th century by one of history’s greatest patrons of the arts, Theodoros Metochites—have been compiled into a book. Published by Demirören Publishing, Kariye Chora: A Story of Transformation from Church to Mosque presents the narratives illustrated in its mosaics and frescoes. The bilingual edition (Turkish and English) contains 60 stories accompanied by nearly 100 photographs. Archaeologist Dr. Murat Sav stated: “The Renaissance in Italy had, in a sense, already begun in this church during the Byzantine era. Figures began to grow in size and elongate in form. There is no other building in Byzantium with such intense visual and iconographic detail. Here, there are very special elements. The mosque is surrounded by paintings and mosaics depicting some of the miracles of Mary and Jesus. Chora is a truly unique structure, and for this reason, it must be understood correctly both in a touristic and cultural sense.”
During his tenure, architect Antoine Ignace Melling—one of the rare foreigners granted the privilege of entering and depicting the harem after being received by Hatice Sultan, the sister of the sultan—created engravings of Istanbul and the Bosphorus shores, preserving the natural appearance of 19th-century Istanbul for future generations. Melling compiled these engravings, which vividly reflect the spirit of the era, into a book published in France in the early 1800s. Demirören Publishing has now released a facsimile edition of this work, published in Turkish, English, and French.
The history of the Krepen Passage has been published under the title Where is Krepen Passage? , accompanied by numerous documents and images—many of them published for the first time. In this work, author Ümit Nar, through Turkuaz Sahaf Publishing, revives a forgotten scene from the history of Beyoğlu with the meticulousness of an antiquarian. The book narrates in detail—like a “paper archaeologist”—the Krepen Passage, known today as Aslıhan Passage, with its restaurants, tradespeople, antiquarian booksellers, regular patrons, social events, and its contributions to Beyoğlu’s literary and cultural life.
At the Sahaflar (Antiquarian Booksellers) Festival held in Üsküdar Square, around 43 antiquarian booksellers set up stalls. Visitors from various regions—including İzmir, Ankara, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and Erzurum—flocked to the event. Emin Nedret İşli, President of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association, said: “As antiquarian booksellers, we are very pleased with this event. Rising book prices have affected the book trade in general, but for antiquarian booksellers the picture is somewhat more optimistic. Some books in second-hand shops, especially out-of-print editions, can be more affordable compared to the current prices in the new book market. Interest in antiquarian bookshops has been growing, particularly among young people, students, and dedicated book lovers.”
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