Reflecting today's most recent findings, this enlightening book presents an even-handed survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present day, beginning with a substantial account of the early centuries and then concentrating primarily on the modern, post-1914 decades. It provides concise, readable, and balanced coverage of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Iran, and offers ten detailed maps and a useful bibliography of selected works to broaden readers' understanding. Deals with the whole Middle Eastern region within particular periods - rather than on a topical or country-by-country basis - allowing readers to see the events in each country at any point in relation to what is happening in other parts of the Middle East. Offers a world/historical perspective, emphasizing the relationship of the Middle East to other regions and civilizations, particularly with the West. Highlights from the Third Edition include a new section dealing with events from 1991 to 1996; an examination of the controversy over Orientalism; an updated bibliography; new glossary of terms (many relating specifically to Islam); and an appendix which fully explains the Pillars of Islam and Jihad. For historians, anthropologists, and those in business and government.
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From the Publisher
Revised to reflect today's most recent findings, this text presents an enlightening and even-handed survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present day, beginning with a substantial account of the early centuries and then concentrating primarily on the modern, post-1914 decades.
From the Back Cover
Reflecting today's most recent findings, this enlightening book presents an even-handed survey of Middle Eastern history from the rise of Islam to the present day, beginning with a substantial account of the early centuries and then concentrating primarily on the modern, post-1914 decades. It provides concise, readable, and balanced coverage of Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, and Iran, and offers ten detailed maps and a useful bibliography of selected works to broaden readers' understanding. Deals with the whole Middle Eastern region within particular periods - rather than on a topical or country-by-country basis - allowing readers to see the events in each country at any point in relation to what is happening in other parts of the Middle East. Offers a world/historical perspective, emphasizing the relationship of the Middle East to other regions and civilizations, particularly with the West. Highlights from the Third Edition include a new section dealing with events from 1991 to 1996; an examination of the controversy over Orientalism; an updated bibliography; new glossary of terms (many relating specifically to Islam); and an appendix which fully explains the Pillars of Islam and Jihad. For historians, anthropologists, and those in business and government.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By Blah
Format:Paperback
Perry book is a highly readable and informative guide to the development of the Middle East as we know it today. It gives a basic overview of every major event from the birth of Muhammad to the Modern day. It also does an excellent job of discuss the outside forces and ideas that have shaped the middle east. The only real drawback is the ridiculous price.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars
4 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Satisfied
Oct 1 2008
By Derek Forster
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Good dealing with seller, communicated very well and corrected his own mistake. mistake was common, nothing to worry about. will buy from again.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Basic Overview of Islamic Civilizations
Dec 21 2001
By Blah
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Perry book is a highly readable and informative guide to the development of the Middle East as we know it today. It gives a basic overview of every major event from the birth of Muhammad to the Modern day. It also does an excellent job of discuss the outside forces and ideas that have shaped the middle east. The only real drawback is the ridiculous price.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Weak Survey of the Early Era; Decent Survey of the Modern Era
April 30 2008
By Suchos
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The book is intended as a general introduction to fourteen centuries of complicated history, so I am somewhat sympathetic to Perry's extraordinarily brief treatment of the early Islamic era (21 pages on pre-Islamic history, and 103 pages on the years 610 to 1774). The author spends the bulk of his time on the period between the first World War and the present (almost two hundred pages), and that's where the book is the most useful -- more so than, say, Bernard Lewis' classic work for the same time period.
In other words, the book is not so interested in teaching Islamic history per se, but Islamic history as a prelude to understanding the modern middle east. Tamerlane gets all of four short paragraphs. The Timurid dynasty gets a single sentence. There is almost no discussion of the Abbassid Revolution. The Mongols and the Ilkhanids are barely mentioned. North Africa and India are almost entirely neglected.
When the Perry gets to the modern era, he gets into more detail, but again it feels rushed. In addition, his narrative starts to show bias against Israel and western nations, with generous use of quotation marks to sneer at his subject. For example, from page 252:
"When Dulles spoke of the new power 'vacuum' in the Middle East, Arabs were angered. President Eisenhower announced a plan to help Middle Eastern countries fill this 'vacuum' by giving military and economic assistance and even by offering to send troops if needed against the danger of 'international Communism.'"
The quotations are distracting, unnecessary and obnoxious, and they appear quite suddenly in the book as soon as we get to the modern era.
Another example of bias making for ridiculous text, from page 250:
"Although Egyptians fought well in the few cases when they were able to put up resistance, even against overwhelming odds and without air cover, Israel routed them without difficulty."
If Israel routed them without difficulty, in what way could the Egyptians have fought well?
The book is not without its use, but only as a prelude to more serious study, and only with the understanding that it does not do justice to Islamic history when the Middle East dominated the world in most important endeavors, including science, mathematics, architecture, medicine, poetry, literature, textiles, etc.
In other words, the book is not so interested in teaching Islamic history per se, but Islamic history as a prelude to understanding the modern middle east. Tamerlane gets all of four short paragraphs. The Timurid dynasty gets a single sentence. There is almost no discussion of the Abbassid Revolution. The Mongols and the Ilkhanids are barely mentioned. North Africa and India are almost entirely neglected.
When the Perry gets to the modern era, he gets into more detail, but again it feels rushed. In addition, his narrative starts to show bias against Israel and western nations, with generous use of quotation marks to sneer at his subject. For example, from page 252:
"When Dulles spoke of the new power 'vacuum' in the Middle East, Arabs were angered. President Eisenhower announced a plan to help Middle Eastern countries fill this 'vacuum' by giving military and economic assistance and even by offering to send troops if needed against the danger of 'international Communism.'"
The quotations are distracting, unnecessary and obnoxious, and they appear quite suddenly in the book as soon as we get to the modern era.
Another example of bias making for ridiculous text, from page 250:
"Although Egyptians fought well in the few cases when they were able to put up resistance, even against overwhelming odds and without air cover, Israel routed them without difficulty."
If Israel routed them without difficulty, in what way could the Egyptians have fought well?
The book is not without its use, but only as a prelude to more serious study, and only with the understanding that it does not do justice to Islamic history when the Middle East dominated the world in most important endeavors, including science, mathematics, architecture, medicine, poetry, literature, textiles, etc.
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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