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HISTORY

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon Don't expect to read all three volumes, but touching on the "readable parts" might rekindle some interest in that history you learned long ago.

Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell

A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich

Lords of the Horizons: a History of the Ottoman Empire by Jason Goodwin

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: a Triumph by T.E. Lawrence

Churchill's Folly: How Winston Churchill Created Modern Iraq by Christopher Catherwood

Desert Queen: the Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Advisor to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia by Janet Wallach

Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800 by Sheila Blair

Islamic Arts by Jonathan Bloom

ANALYSIS

From Bernard Lewis:

The Middle East: a Brief History of the Last 200 Years

Cultures in Conflict: Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Age of Discovery

The Multiple Identities of the Middle East

What Went Wrong?: Western Impact and the Middle Eastern Response

From Thomas L. Friedman:

From Beirut to Jerusalem

Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World after September 11

MEMOIRS

Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor of Jordan

From the Holy Mountain: a Journey among Christians in the Middle East by William Dalrymple

Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucusus by Robert D. Kaplan

Persian Mirrors: the Elusive Face of Iran by Elaine Sciolino

The Sewing Circles of Herat: a Personal Voyage through Afghanistan by Christina Lamb

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

Nine Parts of Desire: the Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks

Reading Lolita in Tehran: a Memoir in Books by Azur Nafisi

Searching for Hassan: an American Family's Journey Home to Iran by Terence Ward

Persepolis & Persepolis 2: the Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi (graphic books)

FICTION

The Source (Iraq) by James Michener

Caravans: a Novel (Afghanistan) by James Michener

Kite Runner (Afghanistan) by Khaled Hosseini

My Name is Red (Turkey) by Orhan Pamuk

Thanks to Roy Brayton for his suggestions
--and his interest in understanding the Middle East.

	Marta Campbell, Head of Collection Management
	Tel: 203-291-4842	E-mail: mcampbell@westportlibrary.org

Last updated 12/7/04