A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition

by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.

The ninth edition of this widely acclaimed text has been extensively revised to reflect the latest scholarship and the most recent events in the Middle East. As an introduction to the history of this turbulent region from the beginnings of Islam to the present day, the book is distinguished by its clear style, broad scope, and balanced treatment. It focuses on the evolution of Islamic institutions and culture, the influence of the West, the modernization efforts of Middle Eastern governments, the struggle for political independence, the course of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the roles of Iraq and Iran in the post-9/11 Middle East, and more.

Arthur Goldschmidt, Jr., is professor emeritus of Middle Eastern history at Pennsylvania State University. He is the author of Modern Foundation of a Nation-State and the recipient of the Amoco Foundation Award for Outstanding Teaching and the 2000 Middle East Studies Association Mentoring Award.

Lawrence Davidson is a professor of history at West Chester University. He is the author of several books, including America’s Palestine and Islamic Fundamentalism.

Audible Audio

Published June 2, 2010

About the author

Arthur Goldschmidt is Professor Emeritus of Middle East History at Penn State University, where he taught from 1965 to 2000. He is best known for writing an introductory textbook, A Concise History of the Middle East, first published by Westview Press in 1979 and now being revised for its ninth edition. Other books he has written include Modern Egypt: the Formation of a Nation State (second edition published by Westview in 2004), the second and third editions of the Historical Dictionary of Egypt, and A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt. His latest book is A Brief History of Egypt, published by Facts on File in 2008 and he is editing for that publisher the Creation of the Modern Middle East Series. He has also edited a book of specialized articles about aspects of Egypt’s history from 1919 to 1952 and written the introduction to a collection of book chapters published by Westview Press. He chairs a committee to write the history of the International Association of Torch Clubs. In addition, he has written many articles, chapters in edited volumes, and book reviews. For his intensive work with both graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants at Penn State, as well as his textbook, Dr. Goldschmidt received the Middle East Studies Association’s Mentoring Award in 2000. He has lived and conducted research in Egypt and several other Middle Eastern countries, with grants from the American Research Center in Egypt, the Social Science Research Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Fulbright Commission. He was a visiting fellow at Durham University in 1989 and 1990. He earned his B.A. from Colby College and his advanced degrees from Harvard University. In retirement he teaches courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Penn State’s Elderhostel, and the Chautauqua Institution’s Special Studies Program.