Istanbul

Istanbul (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
$23.00
I have previously bought DK guides of other places that we have visited, including Rome, Venice, Florence, Madrid, etc. They are truly mini-encyclopedias and well worth buying for an in-depth explanation of destinations. I am rating this guide of Istanbul in advance of our visit. The only negative I would note is that the DK guides pack so much information into their volumes by, among other things, using a font for their text that is VERY SMALL. (Yes, I am not a youngster and I do wear corrective lenses.) I don't know if they are available in a Kindle version. If so, that option or using an old-fashion magnifying glass may be necessary if your eyes, like mine, begin to tear at the sight of such fine print! I still recommend them for their in-depth contents. (I typically also purchase a Rick Steves guide, if available for the destination, to help me prioritize what to see.)

Bazaar Istanbul: Music of Turkey
$10.98
This is an excellent collection of traditional Turkish music, combining instrumental pieces, as well as songs. It gives the right flavor of Middle Eastern music, voice, and instruments.

Living in Istanbul (Living In . . .)
$50.00
thank you for keeping a promise and delivering this book on December 24th!!! you helped me make a great surprise to my friends in Florida who just really do love the book!! as per what i was told, the pictures are really something and i really do appreciate you did deliver that quickly!!

thank you!
petra

Time Out Istanbul (Time Out Guides)
$19.95
Spent about a week in Istanbul and neighboring places. Overall satisfied as travel companion but not extremely impressed.

Plenty of information on restaurants (especially pricey ones), cafes, clubs, etc... but less focus on touristic places and hotels. Average on general info (how to get in and out of airport, tips, currency, etc). History and other background information is not its strength. Not so much on excursion outside the town (Good info on Bosphorus cruise and islands nearby but there are a lot more around IST). I guess this is exactly what we should expect from Time-Out, which is mainly for entertainment of the locals.

If you visit the city to "enjoy the city" rather than enjoy tourism and driving around the area, this is probably the book for you. For "enjoy the city" purpose, I think this book, with a lot of up-to-date information by probably local active contributors, is hard to beat.