Brummett has a clear-sighted view of the Euro-Asian commercial continuum, and is successful in drawing the Ottoman experience into western historiography. She is especially convincing on the Ottomans as a seaborne empire among rivals, a refreshing antidote to the general histories on the period which are generally dismissive about mercantilism in the empire. This is a well-crafted and very readable narrative." — Virginia H. Aksan, McMaster University"Brummett answers questions that have been in the field for a long time, and raises others not yet conceived. She thoroughly revises current European historiography on the nature of the Ottoman Empire and the whole international scene during a crucial period of transition." — Linda T. Darling, University of Arizona