Prof. Scott B. NoegelChair, Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and CivilizationUniversity of Washington

Book note:Lewis, Bernard. The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years. NewYork: Scribner, 1995.

First Published in:

Religious Studies Review 24 (1998), 437.

Islam

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THE MIDDLE EAST: A BRIEF HISTORY

OF THE LAST 2,000 YEARS. By BernardLewis. New York: Scribner's. 1995. pp. xii +433. N.p..ISBN 0-684-80712-2.

An immensely readable and fascinating sur-vey of the social. economic. and cultural changesthat have shaped the Middle East. BegiMingwith the Roman and Persian empires. Lewisdocuments contact between the East and theWest and the impact of the one upon the other.Throughout. the material is treated with a greatdeal of sensitivity and with enriching acumen. Inaddition to outlining the oscillating plays ofpower between Christians and Muslims. Mon-gols, Turks, Mamluks. and Safavids, the book isspiced thoroughly with captivating anecdotesand enlightening etymologies. This is more thana listing of historical events: it is a profound his-tory of ideas. The reader learns, for example,how changes in clothing. hairstyle, food. and lei-sure habits were introduced. how the ruling insti-tutions interact with the general populace. andwhence derive characteristics and terms so

closely associated with the Middle East today.Panicularly interesting foci include the develop-ment and impact in the West of Eastern concep-tioo< 0r rdigion and law. the preoccupation ofMiddle Eastern elite classes. the changing mod-,'L-.,'f l"~;I,'.!';,.:t, the rule of literature :lnd music.and lhe cn.Jieuges of modernity in the region. Acombinalion of an encyclopedic knowledge andgreat love for the subjecl. this book is highly rec-ommended.

Scott B. NoegelUnii'ersiry of WashingtonSeatTle, WA98/95

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