In this collection of essays, Isa Blumi seeks to reassess some common misconceptions about the history of the Ottoman Empire. Blumi, an expert on the Empire"s administration of the Balkans and Arabia, takes up the question of communities on the periphery of Ottoman society, be they inhabitants of Albania or Yemen. However, Blumi still sees such people as being central actors in the greater Ottoman society and shows that studies of the provinces can provide valuable insights for historians interested in central state reform, competing imperial agendas and modern political economy. The essays of the book are tied together by Blumi"s reflections on being a history writer, but each individual essay touches on some unique and almost forgotten aspect of late Ottoman history.