books dealing with Middle-East history

Hey, can anyone recommend some good nonfiction books which dissect the roots of the never-ending Mid-East conflict? *NOT* current events --and not medieval history--but say, events of the 19th & 20th Century leading up to perhaps the Carter Administration? Thx

I found Jerusalem 1913: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict to be quite good.

You might check out the biography Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell. She was responsible for drawing up the borders of many modern middle eastern countries.

These look good. Thanks!

p.s. seems like women named 'Gertrude' always do remarkable things in their lives, wot? They're really 'go-getters'.

Two that I've read in the not-too-distant past, and one that I'm reading now: Setting the Desert on Fire by James Barr, The Oil Kings by Andrew Scott Cooper, and Kingmakers by Karl Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac.

I don't have access to my shelves right now but if you check my catalogue you might find something that interests you. It's a subject that interests me a lot. Once I get home ill take a look at my shelves for more detailed rec's for you

How about From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman. I loved this book as it was so readable, yet had all the facts alongside some opinion too.

I found After the Prophet to be a really insightful read, but it mostly deals with conflict within the Muslim world, especially between Sunni and Shi'a.

The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis
What Went Wrong? by Bernard Lewis
The Crisis of Islam by Bernard Lewis
The Closed Circle David Pryce-Jones

A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Middle East by David Fromkin

The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War by Mehran Kamrava. 160 pages of history up to the Gulf Wars, then 200 pages of analysis.

I'm awash in riches. Thx all! Great trove of titles to choose among

Here's a second to >10 deebee1:'s recommendation of A Peace to End All Peace.

For something set during Carter admin years (though the U.S. isn't a main focus), I recommend The Siege of Mecca by Yaroslev Trofimov; the focus is on one particular incident, but I thought the writer did a good job of situating it within a larger international context.

A History of the Middle East by Peter Mansfield is a book I can recommend.

You may want to consider books by Sir Martin Gilbert, a scholar on the Mideast and Churchill.

You might want to consider books by Sir Martin Gilbert , a scholar on the Mideast and Winston Churchill.

Further to the very good recommendations above I would recommend the following (there are many good books on the various wars - notably the books by Benny Morris covering the 1948 war, which I intend to read, but these below are books that I've read myself and can recommend):

British Mandate period (1918-1948):

One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate by Tom Segev - a brilliantly researched and unbiased presentation of the direct origins of the modern conflict and build up to Israeli independence.

Israeli War of Independence/Palestinian 'Naqba' (1947-1949):

1948: A Soldier's Tale - The Bloody Road To Jerusalem by Uri Avnery

Jerusalem Embattled: A Diary of the City Under Siege by Harry Levin - valuable first-hand account of the siege which continued throughout the hostilities in divided Jerusalem. Gives a real sense of "being there".

Robert Capa: Photographs from Israel, 1948-1950 edited by Micha Bar-Am - a superb photographic record of the era from the co-founder of the Magnum agency.

Suez Crisis/Sinai War (1956):

Diary of the Sinai Campaign by General Moshe Dayan - fascinating insight from the Israeli Army's then Chief-of-Staff, and future Defence Minister. Clear and well written.

Six Day War (1967):

1967: Israel, the War, and the Year That Transformed the Middle East by Tom Segev - An excellent and very thorough account of the entire year in the Middle East. Segev uses previously unknown first hand sources from a variety of backgrounds and levels of involvement - from the back of a jeep at the front, to the most dramatic moments within the Israeli War Cabinet, as well as from the Oval Office and the records of the Arab leaders' correspondences - the view from the battlegrounds as well as the domestic outlook from the civilian life during the crisis. Can't recommend highly enough.

The Six Day War by Winston Churchill - Not by Sir Winston, but his journalist grandson who was a correspondent in the region before and during the brief conflict that changed everything in the Middle East.

general 20th century:

Living History: A Memoir by Chaim Herzog - Very good memoir by the future President, who was an intelligence commander during the 1948 war, became one of the first Generals of the IDF, was a diplomat at the UN and eventually a Member of the Knesset before becoming Israel's ceremonial head of state.

Israel Through My Lens by David Rubinger - An entertaining and revealing memoir from one of the best Israeli photo-journalists who has recorded almost every key moment in Israel's history thus far. Intimate and enlightening. Fantastic photography as well.

Under This Blazing Light by Amos Oz - a collection of essays by one of Israel's finest thinkers and writers - it covers a range of topics but extensively relates to the ever-present circumstances of the ongoing conflict through the years.
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Right now, I'm reading '1948: A Soldier's Tale - The Bloody Road To Jerusalem' by Uri Avnery. It's a memoir written originally as a 25 year old combatant's files from the front of the Israeli War of Independence for a column in the Ha'aretz newspaper evening editions. Published as two best-selling Hebrew volumes right after the war in 1949-50, it has been published as one volume in English translation for the first time in 2008.