This first decade of the new millennium has been good for Turkish publishing's international status. Until Orhan Pamuk first appeared in translation in the 1990s, pretty much the only Turkish novel any non-Turk had heard of was Yashar Kemal's Memed, My Hawk (first published in 1955). Pamuk, of course, is not only the author of novels now read throughout the world, but in 2006 also became Turkey's first and only Nobel Laureate. Last year, Turkey again found itself center stage as the featured country at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Traditionally, Turks have not been big readers—editions still tend to run about 1000-2000 copies in this country of 70 million, though a bestseller may run well into six digits. There has always been a small number of dedicated literary intellectuals, mostly in Istanbul, but Pamuk's success has been a factor in a major shift. Younger Turks are both reading and writing more, and several of the national daily newspapers now have weekly book supplements. A few other Turkish novelists are making their names outside Turkey (notably Elif Shafak, who, like Pamuk, fell afoul of a controversial Turkish statute against "insulting Turkishness"). But relatively little of the Turkish output is making it into translation. Why not more? For one thing, Turkish is not an easy language to translate. It is a Ural-Altaic language whose structure could not be more unlike English. For a little more insight into this problem, I recommend a wonderful essay by Maureen Freely, Pamuk's translator. It can be found at the end of her translation of his Black Book (there are two translations, so be sure you have hers). She works closely with Pamuk, line by line, and her translations are masterly. She is a successful novelist in her own right and grew up in Turkey, and—incidentally—is the daughter of John Freely, doyen of Istanbul travel writers.

Along with an increase in Turkish writers and readers has come a sudden boom of bookstores. As is true in most of the world, numerous small, independent bookstores struggle to survive in the shadow of large conglomerates that can offer better discounts and wider selection. One of the two most successful Turkish bookstore chains, Remzi, is also a highly respected publisher and, therefore, looms large on the Turkish publishing scene. There is no exclusively English-language bookstore in Istanbul, but for the Anglophone reader, there are plenty of options. Along with the large chains such as Remzi and D&R, there are smaller, independent stores offering an excellent range of books in English. Along Istiklal Avenue—the beating heart of the city—these include Pandora, Homer, Robinson Crusoe and the relatively new Insan Kitap, which has started a series of author events in both Turkish and English. In Kadikoy, on the Asian side of the city, Greenhouse is the best source for English-language books. And in Sultanahmet, near the monuments of the old city, there's Kayseri Bookstore. Perhaps it is worth mentioning that there are also local online sources.

Although it is hard to find many Turkish writers in translation in the United States, more Anglophone writers are producing books about Turkey. Beyond the usual guidebooks and histories, a wealth of fiction has popped up in recent years, including at least four new mystery writers: Jenny White, Jason Goodwin, Lawrence Goodman, Barbara Nadel. Two U.S. online sources focus exclusively on books about Turkey: nettleberry.com and cornucopia.net. The latter is the site for Cornucopia, a beautifully produced magazine highlighting the best of Turkish culture, art and history and providing reviews of recent books. Some titles on these two websites are from standard U.S. and U.K. publishers, but many are the product of small, Istanbul-based publishers. Çitlembik, which has been publishing since 2000, is owned and managed by an American married to a Turk. Her backlist now numbers some 150 titles, about one-third of them in English. Greenhouse bookstore also publishes a few titles, though usually not fiction. And—full disclosure—my own publisher, Islander Editions, offers a few titles focusing on Istanbul's Princes' Islands.