It's always intellectually salubrious to spend an hour or two with the generous mind of Frenand Braudel. This history of the birth of Western civilization in the Middle East and its flowering on the shores of the Mediterranean is perfectly suited to the longue durée vantage that characterizes Braudel's thought. As always, he begins with the effects of geography, the patterns of trade and commerce, and pauses only briefly to note political events and the acts of the renowned. For example, he treats Alexander as a misguided youth whose "mistake" was to turn the East when Greece should have looked west for its future. This is not a finished book, it was published only after Braudel's death, but in someways the lack of polish and occasional omissions bring the reader closer to the essence of the historian. ( )

This book is unusual, as it finds Braudel writing outside his realm of expertise. I appreciated the endnotes that brought his treatment of prehistory up to date, although I wish these notes had been a bit more elaborate. Relying largely on the work of prior historians, Braudel comes off as a bit generic but is charming and erudite as always. ( )