The Book of Devices

Bronze

“Here are the wonderful histories of the triumphs and tribulations of three Ottoman inventors, ‘as reported by the narrators of events and relators of traditions.’ By turns humorous and touching, these interlinked stories are nutshells of vividly imagined past. While we follow Yafes Chelebi and his two successors in their search for the secret of the perpetual motion, the crumbling empire undergoes drastic changes in the background and the city of their dreams, Istanbul, witnesses coup d’états, Westernizing reforms, and the advent of technological innovation.“

This cover for the Turkish author Ihsan Oktay Anar’s 1996 novella, “The Book of Devices,”s English translation is designed to illustrate the fictional world set by the author that takes place in the Ottoman times using a collage, including original imagery found from a 200 year old Library, such as old maps and engravings.