This book presents a many-sided view of education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century under the Ottoman Empire. Drawing on a wide array of primary material, ranging from archival reports to textbooks and classroom maps, Benjamin C. Fortna provides a detailed scholarly analysis of the Ottoman educational endeavour, revealing its fascinating mix of Western and indigenous influences. Imperial Classroom deserves our attention on several counts, the most important being its innovatory approach, systematic presentation and the large variety of sources consulted to good effect ... well-documented and very readable ... this scholarly book should be read not only by those studying late Ottoman education, but by all those interested in the period of Abdülhamid II.