This book provides a fabulous overview of the Ottoman Empire. I especially appreciate McCarthy's attention to matters that are often not discussed in history books (at least in a serious way), such as family life and daily life. I feel that sometimes McCarthy takes an overly pro-Turkish stance on controversial issues, but this book really is valuable.

This is probably the best overall history of the Ottomans around. A thorough researcher and lucid writer, McCarthy focuses on family life and health and disease in the Ottoman Empire as well as the diplomatic, military and political history of the empire. This book is a must for anyone interested in the history of Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, or Caucuses.

The Ottoman history department has been found by the help of the Turkish government financing, and had as first aim to promote the denial of the Armenian genocide (The financing and foundation of the “Turkish studies” could be found in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 9, Number 1, Spring 1995, pages 1-22 Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide). Not only these study institutes have been used as rampant propellers for the denial of a known genocide, but the foundation of programmes in the Middle East department of prestigious Universities such as Princeton (See Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Vol. 9, Number 1, Spring 1995, pages 1-22 Professional Ethics and the Denial of Armenian Genocide. Also many articles have treated about the subject, one for example appeared in The Chronicle of Higher Education, October 27, 1995) is without precedent in the history of corruption of intellectuals paid to deny what we may call the undeniable. McCarthy is one of these intellectuals, it is not only that he use methods such as the ones used by Paul Rassinier, (Holocaust denier, the first one to introduce demographic calculations to deny the Holocaust) but his techniques could be questioned and even rejected due to mathematical manipulations, an analyse of McCarthy questionable calculations could be found in a French work: Négationnisme et théorie des populations stables : le cas du génocide arménien. By Frédéric Paulin, (completing a Ph.D, EHESS) or also in the analyse of McCarthy work “Muslim and Minorities…” by the expert Dr. Daniel Panzac, in “Analyse bibliographique…” Hilmar Kaiser a German expert on the Armenian genocide also critic McCarthy calculation techniques in an interview by Dirk van Delft in the NRC Handelsblad, Page 51, Amsterdam, Saturday, 27 May 2000. “The American researcher Justin McCarthy, cites the number 600 000 for Armenians and 2.5 million for the Moslems killed. But if you put the figures next to one another, it does not make sense. There are elementary errors in arithmetic. In demographic circles, the McCarthy figures are ignored. I know insurance company employees who don't pay any attention to McCarthy's figures. Not because McCarthy is pro-Turkish, but because his calculations are wrong.”

McCarthy participation on a new book published directly from the Turkish government: The Armenians in the late Ottoman period. From The Turkish Historical Society for the Council of Culture, Arts and Publications of Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Ankara 2001. Or his direct involvement of the newly founded Institute of Armenian study the new invention of the Turkish government in order to promote and propagate denial. Also must be noted, his presentation during the hearings on H. Res. 398, a resolution recognising the Armenian genocide by the United-States, where he even glorify the Turkish government: “The Turkish government felt that pressing the Turkish case against Armenians and others would rekindle old hatreds and invite war, so the Turks said nothing of their grievances. This was the right decision for the time. The unfortunate result was that no one spoke for the Turks.” Very intriguing statement made by McCarthy, when the Turkish governments from the beginning encouraged hatred against Armenians by financing anti-Armenian works, even reviews such as “These Armenian dogs” have been published with the acceptance eyes of the government. Another surprising speech made by McCarthy was republished in the Turkish press review Wed. 25 Oct 00. "However, the US Congress should have rejected the bill not just because of the political reasons, but because it is a lie." This statement made by McCarthy is not one that a professional could afford to make. Claming the genocide as being a lie is like saying that Armenians are liars, not only this, it is also saying that every specialists in the field, are liars, the Holocaust and Genocide association is a liar association composed of liars. McCarthy didn’t say the proposition is a mistake, or the genocide clam is made by people that are mistaken, but simply say that it is a lie, exactly the same kind of words used by the Turkish government. Like this is not enough, McCarthy even receives founds directly from Turkish study associations financed by the Turkish government itself. For example he received and probably still receive ITS grants(Institute of Turkish study, promoted grant as one of the major aim to finance deniers), as well as ARIT grants (American Research Institute in Turkey, grants and finance American searchers, and also a major aim to propagate denial). McCarthy in fact even recognised that his aim was to re-write Turkish state picture at a conference in Bosphorus University, a university that is one of the major places where denialist work are created. The fact is that he haven’t only admitted that he will try to correct Turkish “image” but also that other “professional” such as him are working for the same aim, McCarthy speech has been reported in the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, ATA-USA, Fall 1995 - Winter 1996 "Dr. McCarthy stated that he, Dr. Lowry, Professor Stanford Shaw, and many others have been working to correct the image of Turkey end Turkish History in the United State. " (p.70)

The Assembly of Turkish American Associations receives also many grants from the republic of Turkey, and is the center of the denialist instrument in the United-State, must be mentioned here that McCarthy implication with this association can not be clearer, when, probably by the demand of this association, McCarthy wrote a book titled, Turks and Armenians (must also be mentioned here that the book has been published by the Assembly of Turkish American association (ATAA)), the title of this work has in fact nothing to do with it’s content, since all what the book does is to deny the Armenian genocide, make the victims the aggressors etc (...)

Much atrocities were committed on Turks and Moslems under the tutelege of European powers towards the end of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. European powers just watched it as they did in Bosnis recently.In western sources these atrocities and genocide against the moslems by the christian subjects of the empire were flip-flopped and many histories talk about moslem atrocities against christian subjects. FINALLY THE TRUTH COMES OUT. Excellent book-highly recommended.

Yesterday's Ottoman Empire today's Turkey is probably stuck in one of the tougest and oldest neighboorhoods in the world and understanding the near history becomes good antitode for peeking into the mind set of people today. All the recent terror events have their origin in the middle east, a part of the world which was interestingly much more calmer 200-300 years ago under the Ottoman then it is now. McCarthy by style can at times sound more like he is writing about polymer chemistry due to his attention to numerical detail in historical research but i personally think this is something very much missing in history in general. Death & Exile also by te author led me to this book and i actually found it better, more readable. A good look into the last era of the Ottoman Empire, its highly multi-ethnic construct and their intricate social upheveal...

As usual, just an excellent research by Prof McCarthy. Between 1914 and 1920, the Armenians engaged in disgusting cowardly massacres of defenseless Muslim women, children and elderly people. Nonetheless, if the current government of ex-Soviet Armenia were to accept the crimes of Russian Armenia, then obviously that would be the major step. That would take, I would say, most of the emotional aspect and hostility out of the picture. We should remember that the victims of the Turkish genocide have only a political demand from the current government of ex-Soviet Armenia. An appropriate analogy with the Jewish Holocaust might be the systematic extermination of the entire Muslim population of the independent republic of Armenia which consisted of at least 30-40 percent of the population of that republic.

In March 1915, the Armenians of 'Van' began a revolt, massacring all the Muslims in the vicinity so as to make possible its quick and easy conquest by Russian Armenians. Little wonder that Czar Nicholas II sent a telegram of thanks to the Armenian Army of Van in April 21, 1915, 'thanking it for its services to Russia.' Even the Armenian newspaper 'Gochnak,' published in the United States, proudly reported in May 24, 1915 that "only 1,500 Muslims remained in Van the rest having been slaughtered." Between 1914 and 1920, the Armenians committed unheard-of crimes, resorted to all conceivable methods of despotism, organized massacres, poured petrol over babies and burned them, raped Muslim women and girls in front of their parents who were bound hand and foot, took girls from their mothers and fathers and appropriated personal property and real estate. And today, they put the innocent Azeris in the most unbearable conditions any other nation had ever known in history.

This is the first time I am reading a book which is covering the massacres of Turks and non-Turkish Muslims during a 100 years period. Almost each sentence in the book is being proved by the reliable sources. There is no way to say this is untrue or didn't happen for any event described in the book. I would like to thank to Justin McCarthy for his detailed research and objective approach. It is so sad to see how millions of Turkish and Muslim people were being tortured and killed and how the world turned its face to the other side and ignored this long-term genocide. Unbelievable!

There is no point arguing about easily verified facts in Prof. McCarthy's fabulous and meticulous documentation of the Turkish Holocaust. Besides, the 'Turkish Holocaust Museum' speaks for itself. The crime of systematic cleansing by mass killing and extermination of Muslim population in Russian Armenia, Karabag, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Algeria and Kosova is an 'Islamic Holocaust' comparable to the extermination of millions of Muslims by the Armenian Government during WWI and of over 6 million European Jews during WWII. The Turkish Holocaust is a historical fact. We learned a little bit about the Jewish Holocaust, but this period of history was obviously not stressed even though the Armenian genocide of the Muslim and Jewish people is part of the curriculum now. Upon the successful conclusion of the Armenian genocide of the Muslim and Sephardic Jewish people, the German author Dr. Weiss, his Austrian colleague Dr. Stein and his Turkish colleague Mr. Ahmet Refik visited Trabzon, Kars, Erzurum and Batum between April 17th and May 20th 1918 to record the Turkish Holocaust. Their writings not only show the scope of Armenian barbarism, but also reveal their goal and true nature.

As Prof McCarthy has abundantly demonstrated in several chapters of his great work, it is important to note that the Armenians have never denied the Armenian crime of genocide inflicted upon millions of Muslim people between 1914 and 1920. "I killed Muslims by every means possible. Yet it is sometimes a pity to waste bullets for this..."[A. Lalayan, 'Revolutsionniy Vostok (Revolutionary East)', No: 2-3, Moscow, 1936.] Also, the memoirs of an Armenian officer, 'Ohanus Appressian,' who participated in the Armenian genocide of the Muslim and Jewish people between 1914 and 1920 amply details the total annihilation of the entire Turkish population of the Russian Armenia. ['Men Are Like That' by Leonard Ramsden Hartill. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis (1926). See page 202.]

I wish to congratulate the most prolific and accurate historian of our time on his relentless efforts for documenting the Turkish Holocaust.