The literature of the Turks is among the oldest of living literatures. Over nearly twelve centuries, it has survived in many continents and regions, expressing itself in a diversity of languages and scripts and remaining receptive to external influences as it maintains its intrinsic impetus for renewal. The Journal of Turkish Literature (JTL) encompasses the literary output of the Turks in Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, and elsewhere. This issue includes a highly significant article by the immanent scholar Profressor Halil Inalcik about the origins of classical Ottoman literature and essays by Robert Dankoff and Dilek Doltas.