A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition

By: Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., Lawrence Davidson

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

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 Egypt: 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.

©2010 Westview Press (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The premier text for the study of the Middle East. Goldschmidt and Davidson’s well-written and solidly argued analyses of the most important and crucial developments of Middle Eastern history and politics…could not be timelier.” (Robert Olson, University of Kentucky)

“I can only offer unmixed praise for the new edition of A Concise History of the Middle East….Sparklingly clear and straightforward for even the ‘general reader.’…Remarkable.” (Mark Seifter, Lehigh Carbon Community College)

“Well-organized, comprehensive, balanced, and exceptionally readable….The authors blend significant historical detail with timely political analysis in a cogent style that is compelling and lucid.” (Donald Wagner, North Park University, Chicago)

In Depth, Informative, Non-Biased

What did you love best about A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition?

Extremely informative and interesting history most are completely unaware of.
An unbiased and unprejudiced review that is fair and accurate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Had to split it up a bit, and re-listen several times.

Well-balanced and Current

What did you love best about A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition?

The Middle East is a very complicated region that's been overlooked by many. Goldschmidt and Davidson manage to unravel the byzantine family struggles and foreign policy in clear language. I was especially surprised about the thoroughness of the modern Middle Eastern history, a woefully misunderstood period.

Any additional comments?

Don't be afraid to stop the book and look up a map. Territory changes hands rapidly and it's sometimes hard to remember who controls what at which time.

objective analysis

The book offers an objective historical analysis of the main events that shaped the Middle East

good quick history of middle

g gggg gggg gggg/ggggg gggoooo [ooo [oooo [[ooooo oo [oooo [od
i really enjoyed it good nrief history

Yes, it is about Islam

What made the experience of listening to A Concise History of the Middle East, Ninth Edition the most enjoyable?

This book gives a detailed treatment of the history of the Middle East from about the start of Islam forward. The first half addresses history leading up to about the 1800s and modernization while the second half leads through the period after that. There is a light mention of the pre-Islamic period, but that is not the focus. That part of history is better addressed through other, focused texts.

Any additional comments?

Multiple listens are highly indicated because of the density of information and length of recording. It can be done in a day at 2x and you will still benefit from additional listening time.

Really tried hard to like this

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I actually found this way too quick. After an engaging introduction about the founding of Islam I lost track as changing dynasties were rapidly listed without explanation. I realise there's a huge amount of history to cover but I personally found it very difficult to follow after a time. ...Maybe it's just me, as no-one else seems to have mentioned it, but I found the narration VERY fast. I also found that the main focus on Islam, as others have mentioned, didn't give me a complete picture of the entire region.

Islamic Propaganda

I was hoping for an unbiased, scholarly history of the Middle East. What I got was Islamic propaganda. This book barely mentions the pre-islamic middle east, and goes almost immediately into Islamic apologetics.

I stopped immediately when the author seriously hoped the Muslims, Christians, and Jews would unite to eliminate secularism and atheism. What a bigoted douche.

Certainly not history, but what is it?

I went to audible and got this book because we seem to bashed with European and US history but have very little exposure to anything else. Given that the middle east is the cradle of modern civilization, the topic of the book seemed a perfect place to start; I had listened previously from audible the really great books "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," "Charlemagne," "Postwar" and "No Simple War," all books that are strongly recommend for those like me who want an entertaining yet detailed account of historical events.

Gosh, was I for a disappointment for this one. What the authors call "history" is an accumulation of names and labels with almost no context about the social environment where things happen. It's very difficult to relate to anything when things are exposed in a dry sequence of historical terminology without any broader analysis that can fit things together. I do understand the role of religion, but does a proper history book needs to offer extensive quotes to religious texts; shouldn't we expect the authors to summarize these quotes and draw the conclusions from observed historical behavior. And, not that religion is unimportant for the history of the region, but shouldn't the rise of religion be explained as part of the social environment rather than an exogenous fact?

But perhaps what I miss the most is the lack of un-historical things we find in the best history books, the historical anecdotes that give new light to the dry historical facts and which, I suppose, would require a lot more research. Combine encyclopedia-style exposition with some religious quotes and this is what you should expect there.

Condescending to the reader

Any additional comments?

The authors appear to have written this is a textbook for college students, but I don't know any college students -- or high school students or even middle school students -- who enjoy being talked down to.

I applaud the authors' desire to get readers to be more open minded about the Middle East, but I think the wrong way to go about it is to say

Very misleading.

I believed I was purchasing a "history of the middle east." Instead, the book is simply an explanation of Islam. I admonish Audible to be more careful in how its promoted works are advertised. I had trusted works would be accurately represented. I will be more careful next time.