It has been 80 years since the publication of the Living Histories (Canlı Tarihler) series, a historiography project first published by Türkiye Yayınevi and brought to life through the efforts of Tahsin Demiray. This series, which published memories in fascicles regarding figures who left their mark on the cultural, artistic, intellectual, and political life of the last century, has always maintained its status as an important source for our recent history, our culture, and our national issues. Transmitting information and experiences that will inspire and broaden the horizons of both researchers and many readers, the Living Histories series has featured dozens of valuable names within its fascicles. Each of these fascicles is in the nature of a memoir supported by documents. The second work of Living Histories to be added to the Büyüyenay library contains the Memoirs of Mehmed Ali Aynî.

Mehmed Ali Aynî (1869-1945), one of the versatile thinkers of the late Ottoman and early Republican history, held various official and administrative positions such as director of national education, teaching, high school and lyceum principalship, chief clerk of the statistics office, correspondence clerk, district governorship, governorship, and professorship at Darülfünun. At the same time, with nearly 35 authored and translated works, many articles, and magazines he published or helped publish, which he squeezed into this busy life, he left behind a portrait of a responsible intellectual. Serving in various parts of the Ottoman geography such as Aleppo, Yemen, Diyarbakır, Kosovo, Kastamonu, Sinop, Taiz, Amara, Balıkesir, Latakia, and Yanina until he was retired from the governorship of Trabzon in 1913, Aynî examined the social, economic, and cultural conditions of the people in these regions, traveled among tribes, and carried out a serious struggle against the activities of separatist ethnic groups, especially the Bulgarians and Armenians.

In this respect, the Memoirs are quite important for penetrating Aynî's intellectual world, evaluating his experiences, and understanding our recent history more accurately. These memoirs are meeting our readers once again after approximately 80 years, enriched with footnotes.