The Arab-Israeli conflict is a fiercely debated topic with numerous accusations constantly being thrown back and forth. For someone just beginning to study the Arab-Israeli conflict, it can be overwhelming. This book is a collection of maps drafted by a professional cartographer to show the real dimensions of treaties, ceasefires, boycotts, and other historical moments in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Would you like to know exactly which land the Oslo Agreements included?

Would you like to know which parts of the Middle East belonged to biblical Israel?

Would you like to know which parts of Britain's Palestine Mandate they forbid Jews to dwell or buy land on?

This resource can answer all those question and more graphically showing you the exact boundaries of, countries involved in, and other important aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. I particularly found this resource helpful in disputing allegations by people that "such-and such a percentage" of the land was to be given up in a treaty such as the original U.N. plan for Palestine or under the Oslo Agreements. After showing my fellow debater the actual maps, the arguments were ended since I was in possession of hard fact thanks to this fine reference book.

Sir Martin Gilbert is a well-acclaimed British scholar, who has written numerous titles in the Historical Atlas series, extensively written about the Arab-Israeli conflict, and was also officially appointed to write the biography of Sir Winston Churchill.

I have reviewed the 1984 Fourth Edition, but several editions have since come out with updated information and additional maps to reflect more recent developments. I recommend getting the most recent edition available.

I highly recommend this outstanding resource for anyone studying the Arab-Israeli conflict, whether pro-Arab or pro-Israeli.

Review by: Maximillian Ben Hanan

Professor Gilbert may know more about this subject than any other scholar, and despite some inherent difficulties has reconstructed geographical areas with great precision. Even those who disagree with his views (occasionally expressed in the explanatory captions) must acknowledge the consumate scholarship underlying his maps--which have no "attitudes," only facts.

Very informative. Gives a good understanding of the conflict by one of the best historians alive right now. Buy it.

Dude, H.W.F. Saggs you are THE MAN (Notice how THE MAN is capitalized). This book really dishes out the skinny on ancient Mesopatamia, and homey take it from me this civilization is DOPE!! He begins by describing the studs(archaeologists, historians,etc.)who rediscovered a lot of the ancient Mesopotamian stuff. Then he breaks it down from the neolithic all the way to the end of the superfly Neo-Babylonian Empire. Saggs style is quite lucid and the pics add a lot to the material Saggs presents in this work. He really does an awesome job at introducing the amazing civilizations that made up ancient Mesopotamia. I especially like the part with the III Ur that dude Shulgi was totally sweet!! Saggs you must be butta' cause you on a roll!! In other words I highly recommend this book.

Saggs puts together a very intriguing review of life in Early Mesopotamia, using archaeological evidence and historical texts. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though the title is a bit misleading. I highly recommend this book to any student doing research on the early settlements in the Sumer and Akkad region. The book covers briefly the Uruk period and in much more detail the Agade , Ur III, and old babylonian periods. Another book that you would also find of great interest is H. Crawfords book called "Sumer and the Sumerians". She examines the Uruk period in more detail than Saggs. Both books are of great value Professor, Student, and novelist alike.

I found myself unable to put this book down. However, I feel that the title is a bit misleading in that while it does cover the Babylonians it also covers a whole lot more. To me the book served as an excellent summary of the history of ancient Mesopotamia from the Sumerians right on through the Babylonians. I borrowed it from the university library and ordered my own copy after I had read it. mwp

I had to do a presentation on megiddo for a class. This book was the most useful and interesting one that I had at my disposal.

History is a slight of hands artist of sorts. It tends to focus ones attention on the flashy action center stage while more important events are often happening in the wings. Its spotlight brings out in high relief the massive endeavor of the pyramids, the power and grandeur of the Roman empire, the longevity of Chinese culture, or the blood rituals of the Aztecs. In doing so it tends to neglect the margins, places where cultural synthesis and mere survival of local polities brings the real issues of life during the time into sharper focus. Eric Cline is a master at redirecting ones attention to precisely these issues of history. In The Battles of Armageddon he chronicles the "life" history of a region that was for most of that history on the margins of the action in the Middle East and in the world.

The Jezreel Valley and ancient Megiddo, the Armageddon of Revelation, are brought to center stage in this well researched and thoroughly entertaining book. Here the armies of the world have fought battles deciding the course of human history, and here too it is suggested that the final battle between good and evil will be fought in the future. All tolled, some 34 major battles have been fought in this valley, often if not usually between combatants who are foreign to the area.

In documenting the drama of conflict that has played itself out on this valley floor, Professor Cline has examined a wide variety of data recording human events in the area. He discusses the records of ancient Egypt, the Biblical texts, the cuneiform documents of Anatolia, Assyria, Babylonia, and Persia, the written material of both the Moslem and the Christian participants of the Crusades, French documentation of the Napoleonic wars in the Middle East, the Allenby diaries, letters, etc. for the World War I conflict with the Ottoman Empire, and the more recent evidence for the Arab-Israeli conflicts in the area. In short, he addresses an impressive collection of data and with it constructs an absorbing "biography" of the region, and in doing so brings the history of the world itself into sharper focus.

I found Cline's willingness to entertain alternative proposals for events of the Israelite conquest of the Levant particularly impressive. He does not seem wedded to any particular theme or version of early Biblical history, a fact which gives one confidence in his critical judgment with respect to early documents, both Biblical and extra-Biblical. Where he is uncertain of the order of or veracity of events or their documentation, he is willing to say as much. There is no effort to make the evidence appear more concrete than it is. He also seems to have no preferred "side" in the Arab-Israeli conflict at least as a historian and archaeologist--whether he has one as an individual is his own business. The author also sticks to historical information and its interpretation and only introduces archaeological data where it is pertinent to the discussion. He doesn't burden the amateur enthusiast with more detail than they are willing or able to imbibe. In short he doesn't slow down the "story" of the Jezreel which makes the volume more readable.

Although I certainly found the earlier history of the Valley of interest--my degree is in ancient history--I actually found Professor Cline's treatment of the era of the Crusades more engaging because I learned more. I also enjoyed the discussion of General Allenby's possible foreknowledge of the war between Thutmose III and the Canaanites at Megiddo an excellent demonstration of good historic detective work. (It was definitely a good illustration of the value of a thorough knowledge of history.) The bibliography of The Battles of Armageddon is a veritable who's who of historical and archaeological research since the 19th century, including authors of topical works, of edited collections and encyclopedias, and of journal articles. For anyone with a specific interest this would definitely be a good starting point for the pursuit of information on tangential topics. I will probably use it to help fill in my knowledge of the Crusades. Without doubt this book would appeal to anyone with an interest in history, particularly that of the Levant or of peripheral areas in general, or in political and military history. One might even use it to teach world history, as so many of the main "players" in the events of human activity have passed through this valley and left their mark on it. Definitely a work worth reading.

For anyone interested in battles, ancient and contemporary, this book is for you. Cline invites those interested in the site of Armageddon as well as military history buffs into the world and circumstances of the Jezreel Valley. Destined to be a classic on ancient battles.

I have read numerous books on the "situation" in the Middle East but they all read like History books. This is the exception. Salhani writes about his memories of war with humour and yet realism that makes you understand the life of a journalist in these situations. It was a page turner and I enjoyed it immensely.I do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.For a comprehensive look at the Lebanese civil war et al,this is the book. Enlightnening, informative, humorous and yet touching. Salhani opens his heart to us in print and one cannot help but respond.

Black September to Desert Storm is a book about the backstage of war.

It is easy to read and instructive not only about the comlex issue of the Middle East but also about Middle Easterns themselves. Most of all it shows through one journalist what covering comlex news events could look like.

Nobody can reveal the absurd and totally surealistic face of war better than a news photographer.

One might find it hard to laugh about events that shook the world with horror, but Salhani shows you how strange enough even in the hardest situations some humour is hidden. Professionals who hop from one war to another mentally survive by cherishing that side.

One might find it even harder to imagine that the most feared terrorist, soldier of fortune or sniper,can also have a human side to him.

If you are someone who reads newspapers and are interested in knowing how news gets to you, this book is a must.

I thought Black September to Desert Storm was a fascinating look at 15 years of unrest in the Middle East through one reporter's eyes. The fact that the author seems to be smart, funny, observant and versatile makes the book easy to read and the complex political and social situations that form the backdrop to his adventures simpler to understand. No one book can capture the entire scope of the Middle East's continuing conflicts, but Salhani is able to show the ludicrous side of these myriad struggles as well as the human tragedies they engender. He does so with compassion and empathy as well as the cold eye of a cynic who has seen too much to be easily fooled. I found myself caught up in the human stories, fascinated and amused by the bizarre cast of characters which populate these pages, but I also felt anger and frustration at the bullheadedness and stubborn pride of the politicians and military leaders whose fault it is these conflicts will seemingly never end. Also, his candid insider's descriptions of the life of a war correspondent and the antics of the foreign press corps were astonishing and often hilarious. If you want to read an enjoyable book that's easy to understand but will still and enlighten you about the Middle East and foreign journalism, I strongly recommend Black September to Desert Storm.

Until I read this book, I virtually knew nothing about what the life is really like in Iran, even though I've read a few books from the country. The author starts with her family's origin, so to speak, by telling stories of her great-great-grand father who became Haji, and goes down the generations to her own time. Through anecdotes and episodes, she tells of bazaar, social life of different social status people, old remedies for certain sicknesses, how they educated their children, how they treat girls differently from boys, what it is like to be a servant, what roles mullahs play in politics and religion, how some tried to westernize the country and how others opposed, what it was like in the first movie theatres, how they tried to cool themselves during the summer heat, etc, etc.
As you read, the life in Iran becomes very vivid and alive in your heart, as if you yourself grew up with the author, and you start understanding the Persian people and the way they are in very positive ways.
She mentions about religions and politics, as her family has always been one of the powerful and well-respected families which played important roles in religions and politics of the country. 1979 revolution was certainly a bitter experience for many Iranian people. She definitely regrets about it also. But she talks about it rather objectively which allows the reader to see the situation with positive attitude.
Some of the anecdotes are hilarious, unimaginable to some of us. You will find out what they use to treat laringitis and bronchitis, their best remedy which outworks any of the western medicine, or who is the best bone fixer when you broke your bone, or what it is like to be married at age 12.

Very very colorful book. You will find a lot of things you have never imagined, and you will gain a lot of knowledge and love for Iranian people. Recommend you 100%!

I am so glad to see this book back in print. I bought this book for my daughters, my mother and many of my friends, and I had given out my copy to another friend. The author is so honest in telling her story. I have been looking for the sequel to this story and I will appreciate any information on other books this author has.

Absoutely wonderful. Witty, deep, clear imagery, captivating language. Historically accurate with utmost sincerity and absolutely no political/cultural biases.

You will experience Ms. Guppy's life while reading this book, and will miss her when finished reading it. The sweet memory of this book stays for years.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
This should be read along with the volumes on Battle Dress and British Infantry Equipments in this series.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The British Army set should be read in conjunction with Mike Chappell's work on British Infantry equipment and the volume on Battle Dress.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

This work is a splendid example of the new emphasis of the publisher on producing comprehensive works in a handy cheap format compared with the earlier broad brush treatments which covered too much in too little detail.
The new emphasis is on sets covering various national armed forces in as much detail as is available, consistent with the current purpose of the works in the series, which have evolved from an original emphasis on serving the military miniature maker market into works intended to enlighten the general reader in enough detail to satisfy the merely curious and to point the way to further reading.
Most of us, including myself, have little need for, or the patience to read, voluminous studies, often in foreign languages, covering many eras and nations. My main interest is in the US forces, their allies and their enemies in the twentieth century.
That said, these works should be purchased as presented, in sets within the series. Since they are produced as a set, the volumes cover only relevent parts of the general history and the clothing and individual equipment is covered as it appears in each period. The French Army, US Army, British Army, and Italian Army series all have three volumes, covering the major theatres and time periods of the war. The German set has five.
The German Army set should be read in conjunction with many other individual volumes covering their allies and opponents and the other German fighting forces such as the Waffen SS, and the Parachute units, which were part of the German Air Force, the Luftwaffe.
If you want an introduction to the fascinating variety of clothing and equipment of the forces covered, this set is for you.

Sprinzak does an excellent job at both presenting and analysing the history of political extremism in Israel. This is helped considerably by the fact that Israel as a modern state has such a relatively short history, so the project is not as epic as it might be if if one was going to attempt a similar catalogue/anthology of the political violence and extremism in France, for instance. Add to that that Sprinzak was one of Israel's pre-eminent scholars and as such, was given tremendous access in terms of what he could see and what information he was privy to.

The book is quite thorough; it gives background on the pre-state militias (Haganah, Irgun, Lehi), as well as discusses their feuds- it opens with the Altalena affair and goes on to examine "The Hunting Season". It then moves forward to describe, in turn, violence and extremism from the ultra-orthodox, the political left, the nationalist-religious right, and Israel's famed quasi-fascist, Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was expelled from the Knesset for having a racist platform. The book culminates in examining the Rabin Assassination.

This book is very interesting as it not only gives much-needed background and context on the extreme right, who dominate much of the current attention given to Israeli politics, but also points out the history and extremism of OTHER camps and ideologies, such as the ultra-orthodox and the left. Not only is this interesting, it is typical of Sprinzak's sense of "fair play". While a fair amount of the book focuses on the misdeeds of the right, Sprinzak is not a name caller, nor a finger-wagger- he is merely a chronicler. And as such, he feels compelled to point out the violence of ALL members of Israeli society.

Impressively, Sprinzak is able to do all this while maintaining an objective professionalism. While he clearly identifies himself as a Laborite, he soundly condemns all political violence, AND simultaneously seems to give the impression that he sympathizes with many of the people he describes- not because he approves of what they do, but rather, he understands the frustration that drives them to their actions. The result is very powerful, and very balanced. Best of all, like any good academic, Sprinzak is thorough enough to give us SOURCES!

I must admit, it was quite refreshing to be able to learn about a part of Israel's history that is often referenced but rarely directly spoken about, for fear it will be exploited. The fact that Sprinzak chose to isolate INTERNAL Israeli violence from the continuous Middle East conflict was another crucial and excellent choice; to muddle up his research with background on the PLO, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad would have done nothing but distract readers from the main purpose of the book: taking an honest look at both examing and understanding the roots of ISRAELI political violence and extremism. For many non-Israeli readers, this may be the first time you realize that the Middle East conflict is not just about Israelis vs. Palestinians. It's not just "who gets a state", but also "what kind of state will we have"? This book goes a long way to giving people an inside view into the political history of Israel- and how far some people have been willing to go.

The book's one drawback is that the epilogue, in which Sprinzak describes various scenarios that might result in the short-term aftermath of Rabin's killing now seem outdated. It is a shame he was not able to publish a second edition before his death.

In short, the book gets points for being easy to read (Sprinzak apparently learned from his earlier book, "The Ascendance of Israel's Radical Right", which in some places, was painful to read), having a lot of interesting (and for many, NEW) information, and for being able to maintain a good sense of balance. It's only negative mark (perhaps worthy of a half or quater-point deduction) is that it was written in 1996, rather than 2003; it would have been nice to get Sprinzak's take on the current goings-on in Israel.

A fitting capstone to this great man's legacy. I look forward to the day when a similar project (in both scope and honesty) is completed by a Palestinian scholar.

Political violence roiled the Jewish state from its beginning, and Ehud Sprinzak gives context to today's turmoil in Brother against Brother: Violence and Extremism in Israeli Politics from Altalena to the Rabin Assassination.

Sprinzak is a partisan who believes in Labor's two-state solution to the Palestinian question. Nonetheless, his portraits of the Right's early leaders, particularly Begin, often are quite flattering. Even Rabin's assassin is examined in an objective, even-handed way; the portrayal is similar to the treatment of Timothy McVeigh in American Terrorist.

Sprinzak gives a lot of insight into the early struggle for the Jewish state and the excesses that fed the Palestinian hatred that continues to fester. Massacres of Arab villagers at the hands of Jews, and other atrocities committed by Israel's founders, are laid bare. Sprinzak makes the case that the 1967 War both united the country and helped seal the political divide between those who seek accomodation with the Arabs and those who view peace as illusory. Rabin's assassination is seen not as an aberration but a predictable response by the opposition.

Like many of his countrymen, the author exudes a combination of pride and angst over the history and future of Israel. The Altalena incident, in which the Right's attempt to arm its supporters was foiled by violence at the hands of the Laborites, sets the stage and never seems far removed from what is happening 50 years later.

This is a tremendous, instructive book that never becomes a diatribe despite the author's political leanings.

I have this book. Ehud was one of my Proffessers at the Hebrew University Political Science Dept. in the 70's and this is an excelent book about Israeli Violent Politics. It is a unique study. It covers a long period. Although the book is New, it reflects the situation before Ehud Barak got elected. But the first Chapters about the Altalena are also very interesting. Ehud told us then that from 1948 till 1967 extra-parliementary Politics was getting less. Since the Idelogical Problem of what to do with the territories taken in 1967 there has been a rise in Politics outside the Knesset. The book also covers Kahanism and the background to the Tragic murder of Rabin.

This is the nastiest book i have ever read. Doc Freiberger is a genius. One of the best writers of our time. The pulitzer is not enough for him. He needs the nobel prize. Great book written by a nasty history teacher. Two nasty thumbs up!!!

Steven Z. Freiberger is one of those writers that comes along once in a generation. Dawn over Suez is the epitome of good history writing, in which Freiberger argues that the United States actually took over the British government for a period of time. A wonderful, compelling, fascinating read. How this got passed over for the Pulitzer is beyond me.

he's my history teacher...i have to like it...i need an

In the Gulf War the full technical advances in the gathering of electronic and signals intelligence were so impressive that Allied Governments were led to believe, that machines and satilites alone could do the job of man. This book proves that such assumptions were incorrect. What has been made plain in "Desert Storms" was that for certain tasks in most places of the world, there is still no substitute for the human intelligence agent. A good read.

World leaders should have the wit to learn that all wars teach lessons. If they do not have the sight to do so, they were faught for naught and those who have died in them did so in vain. What this author made plain was that for special tasks in unusual places, there is still no substitute for the world's oldest information gathering device: the "humant". The author's product (secretly gathered intelligence) should be highly regarded.

"Desert Storms" is a haunting and original story woven about two very different traditions, moving from opulent palacial rooms of financial diplomacy to private clubs. Where Emir's and King's patiently and effectively transform their enormous wealth and natural resources into political and military power. The ultimate participant in the story finds himself suddenly involved as a covert warrior among Middle Eastern strife. Told with historical accuracy, "Desert Storms" is cast in a nostalgic glow and, is the result of a massive research project and investigative journal. It would be hard to find another book as comprehensive and meaningful.

I recently purchased DISCOVER! Volume 3 and I want more! Please send Volumes 2 and 3!

Having traveled and lived in the areas described in Vol.3, The Lower Mississippi, from St. Louis, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee, and descended from a family of river rats, I can say that I've "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

Reading Pat's book is like traveling along with her as she explores the Great River Road along the mighty Mississippi River. I was especially impressed with the with the book's scope and readability. Pat has included personal insights from area inhabitants, collected geographical, historical and societal information and spread it all liberally throughout the travelogue. This is one hard book to put down, and if you ever decide to visit the area you'll have plenty of reference material to use. You will feel like you know the place already, and have gotten your own t-shirt.

Jim Pankey USN (Ret.)

Rolling on the River.......... In a few weeks, it'll be road-trip weather, and we have some of the nation's prettiest highways at our fingertips--US Hwy 61 and several other state and county highways form the parkway known as AMERICA's Great River Road. Making that drive even easier is a new guide: "DISCOVER! AMERICA'S GREAT RIVER ROAD, Volume 1." This 240-page guide highlights the heritage, natural history and recreational activities available along the Mississippi River from St. Paul, Mn., to Dubuque, Iowa. It includes maps, historical and geological points of interest, bike trails, bird watching spots and short features on small towns, parks, and villages. ----STAR TRIBUNE, Minneapolis, Mn. April 1997