Introduction by Edhem Eldem and Sophia Laiou Part One: Istanbul between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sophia Laiou, “The Ottoman state and the Black Sea trade, end of the eighteenth – beginning of the nineteenth century” Gerassimos D. Pagkratis, “The Ottoman Empire and Ionian maritime enterprises in the late 18^th and early 19^th Centuries” Christos Hadziiossif, “Parallel lives: Greek shipping and the port of Istanbul” Katerina Galani, “The Galata bankers and the international banking of the Greek business group in the 19th century” Part Two: Aspects of the Black Sea economy Edhem Eldem, “Scanning the Ottoman Black Sea in 1900 through the Revue commerciale du Levant” Ekin Mahmuzlu, “Transformation of mercantile shipping in southeast Black Sea ports between 1834 and 1914” †Evrydiki Sifneos, “‘Was the extraction of coal at Kozlu and Zonguldak mines profitable?’ An attempt at an answer from the Courdgi papers” †Vangelis Kechriotis, “Greek-Orthodox in politics and the economy of the Black Sea port cities at the end of the Empire”