William L. Cleveland (1941–2006)

This is an excellent survey. It is well researched, balanced and fair. It is also highly readable!

Beginning with the Ottoman Empire, he traces events right down to the Iraq war. It made clear the Sunni/Shia division, along with the other ethnic ones as well as clarifying the politics that the US has played in the region. All of a sudden, the newspapers began to make sense.

Good survey textbook for middle eastern history from pre-Islamic times to the post 9/11 world. If you are looking for a strong understanding of events in Middle Eastern History, this textbook serves that purpose. Negatives: could be better organized; not good for use in contemporary events, but good for understanding their underlying roots.

These books become outdated as soon as they are printed. Even history changes as new perspectives come about and new information comes to light. This book is a bit bewildering, but so is the subject matter. This is a bad introduction to the topic, but a good book for the next step, since it spends more time on theory and ideas rather than who said what when where and why. The book also weighs more than you would expect.