Fortna- a historian of the Modern Middle East with research focuses on the late Ottoman Empire and the early Turkish Republic- begins his work with showing the importance of education in the modern world. However, its role is only comprehended to certain degree and little consideration is given to the educational concepts. Fortna explains his main purpose of writing this book as analyzing the general acceptances of education and its relationship with moder- nity. The effort of Fortna in writing this work expresses his aim throughout the book with the emphasis on the explanation of Ottoman education reflecting the imperatives and the reason behind the changes of educational policy according to some trends. Fortna points out these trends such as the greediness of the foreign powers, the offensiveness of their missionaries, and the restlessness of neighbors and minority groups alike. The book explicates the conjunction of the educational issues of the late Ottoman Empire and the modern world. The author also aims to provide apprehending the integration of modernity and tradition evidently. There is an attempt to make evident the Ottoman agency by an apprehensive co- operation with the education. The role of education has been questioned as being a powerful commodity enabling the transformation of a society for good or bad with the impact of the officials’ minds. The book is composed of six chapters in addition to the list of illustrations, table, map, a bibliography, and an index that is why the study could be described as reader friendly.