Imperial Legacy, composing of various chapters contributed by numerous Ottoman experts, sheds light, especially for non-academicians, on the legacy of a great empire and its imprint on current Middle East, Balkan, Caucases and North Africa geopolitics, culture, religion and daily life. Most revealing is how the Ottoman history is not synonomous with Turkish history. Rather, it is a history of a particular dynasty, and the history of the peoples, of numerous religious, ethnic and racial background it ruled over centuries. It is a history of Greeks, Armenians, Arabs, Serbs, Albanians, and many others. In an effort to distance themselves from the Ottoman past, which was the anti-thesis of that most powerful 19th century invention of nation-state, all nations that have emerged from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire have very diligently and actively ignored or denied the Ottoman heritage. Most zealous among them was the new Republic of Turkey of course. In many cases the legacy is very tangible and measurable, like the current political and ethnic borders of lands that directly or indirectly, at some time or another, came under Ottoman rule. In other cases, it is intangible but very omnipresent, like very centralized governments, elite bureaucrats, lack of noble classes, administrative traditions, obsession with internal peace at any cost etc.. In other cases, the legacy is there by its absence, like lack of strong free markets, industrial and technological underdevelopment. It is a delicate matter though at times to seperate the pre-Ottoman traditions that Ottomans absorbed and carried over from Byzantine and Seljuk empires, or very regional characterisitcs that can not be attributed to Ottomans solely, from the true and unique imprints of the Ottoman Empire. The various facets of the legacy is investigated at some depth, albeit very unevenly in each chapter. While Maria Todorova dives into phlisophy and theory of history in the 4th Chapter on Balkans, Norman Itzkowitz gives a very superficial treatment in Chapter 3. Present day perceptions, impact on Arab world and Balkans, administarative and diplomatic heritage, language, education, economics and cultural legacies have been specifically treated with adequate references. The militray subject was very lightly covered given its enourmous significance for the Ottomans. The imprint on the modern Turkish history and how the young Turks, CUP and CHP and their struggles with opposing forces play out and shape politics in Turkey even today, does not get the focus it obviously deserves. Two other areas left out of the picture were music and architecture. They do fall a little out of the area of expertise of the historians contributing to the book but still, Classical Turkish Music is a very living part of the Ottoman legacy. It exists solely because of the imperial heritage, and it has been refined over the centuries by very significant contributions from non-Turks and non-muslims alike. There are experts who could have been called on to fill these gaps. In short, a very timely and relevant book. A topic that was very difficult to treat objectively due to the prejudice and heavy emotions surrounding the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and its disasterous end, has been bravely and squarely faced. It promises to be a very rich area of investigation and research in the future too.