Constantinople, painted by Warwick Goble, described by Alexander Van Millingen

A combined historical and travel account traces the foundation and growth of the great city on the Bosporus, surveying its development under successive rulers and examining its fortifications, harbors, and principal churches. The narrative pairs antiquarian description with lively on-site impressions of streets, bazaars, cafés, cemeteries, and religious ceremonies, and includes a focused chapter on the lives and customs of local women. Copious color plates and illustrations accompany concise topographical and architectural analysis, so that readers receive both a scholarly overview of the city's past and a vivid sense of its appearance and social character at the time of writing.