Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State
by Cemal Kafadar · University of California Press
A historiographical study of how the Ottoman polity emerged in fourteenth-century Anatolia. It re-examines the gazi thesis and frontier society, and weighs how tribal, religious and political loyalties shaped the move from principality to centralized state. The deepest treatment of the 'origins' part of the topic, for readers moving past the surveys. It is a short academic monograph, so the difficulty is advanced.
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More resources on The Ottoman Empire
In Our Time: Constantinople Siege and Fall
A 45-minute BBC Radio 4 discussion of Mehmed II's siege and capture of Constantinople in 1453. It covers the city's strategic position, the conduct of the siege, and what the conquest meant for the Ottoman state and the end of Byzantium.
The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East
A history of the Ottoman Empire's First World War, from its entry into the war through Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, the Arab Revolt and the Palestine front. It ends with the postwar partition that dismantled the empire and redrew the Middle East. The best-sourced account of the empire's collapse, and it is readable enough for beginners.
The Ottoman Empire, 1700–1922 (2nd edition)
A thematic textbook on the empire's last two centuries. It covers military and political change, the Tanzimat reforms, the economy, daily life, gender, and the treatment of non-Muslim communities, and argues against the decline narrative. Includes maps, short biographies and a bibliography.
The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600
A concise study of the empire's formative centuries by the founder of modern Ottoman historiography. Separate chapters cover political history, the palace and central government, land tenure and the timar system, economy, religion and culture. The best short treatment of how imperial institutions actually worked.