The Middle East by Bernard Lewis has dropped to $3.99 at Kindle US. It's subtitled "
A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years" and although it IS a history of the last 2,000 years, I'm not sure I'd call it brief. I read it many years ago in DTB prior to and during a trip to the Middle East, and IMS it was about 600 pages in the edition I read - the ebook purports to be 448 pages. Still, if you're trying to cover 2.000 years, even at a few hundred pages, you have to cover several years per page
. Although Lewis' political views bleed through very occasionally, it's still an enjoyable read, and I recommend it, especially at this price. It definitely gave me a better understanding of the history of the region, which is not usually well-taught in schools here.
link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00309CNI0
Spoiler:
Quote:
In a sweeping and vivid survey, renowned historian Bernard Lewis charts the history of the Middle East over the last 2,000 years, from the birth of Christianity through the modern era, focusing on the successive transformations that have shaped it.
Drawing on material from a multitude of sources, including the work of archaeologists and scholars, Lewis chronologically traces the political, economical, social, and cultural development of the Middle East, from Hellenization in antiquity to the impact of westernization on Islamic culture. Meticulously researched, this enlightening narrative explores the patterns of history that have repeated themselves in the Middle East.
From the ancient conflicts to the current geographical and religious disputes between the Arabs and the Israelis, Lewis examines the ability of this region to unite and solve its problems and asks if, in the future, these unresolved conflicts will ultimately lead to the ethnic and cultural factionalism that tore apart the former Yugoslavia.
Elegantly written, scholarly yet accessible, The Middle East is the most comprehensive single volume history of the region ever written from the world’s foremost authority on the Middle East.
|