Modern Middle

In 2026, Iran stands at the most dangerous crossroads in its modern history. After regional war, the collapse of nuclear diplomacy, and a domestic uprising that shook the Islamic Republic to its core, the regime faces converging pressures unlike any since 1979. Sanctions have tightened. Proxy networks are strained. Water shortages threaten internal stability. And the nuclear program has moved closer than ever to weapons capability. How did Iran reach this moment? Iran 2026: What’s Next is a sweeping and deeply researched examination of Iran’s long arc—from the Persian Empire and the ...

What if one land held the story of empire, faith, poetry, and power, all at once? From the first kings who ruled the ancient world to the modern struggles shaping global politics, Iran is not just a country—it is a civilization that has never stopped evolving. This gripping, fast-paced history takes you deep into the heart of Persia—where empires rose with breathtaking ambition, poets reshaped the soul of a nation, and revolutions changed the course of history. Walk through the gates of Persepolis. Stand beside Cyrus the Great as he builds the first global empire. Witness the rise of ...

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY New York Times Christian Science Monitor NPR Seattle Times St. Louis Dispatch National Book Critics Circle Finalist -- American Library Association Notable Book A thrilling and revelatory narrative of one of the most epic and...

The 10 enlightening (and often humorous) lectures of Medieval Myths and Mysteries will show you how far from the “dark” times of legend these centuries were. Uncover the facts about the Knights Templar. Reveal the truth behind the tales of legendary creatures like the Questing Beast and the unicorn. Trace the events of the Black Death and the ways it altered the world in its wake, and much more. With Professor Armstrong, you will dig deep into the ways that later generations reshaped the narrative of the medieval years and perpetuated the myths.

A landmark new history of Syria—a country forged in conflict, cursed by civil war and dictatorship, and pivotal to the future of the Middle East “A masterful history of Syria that is both sweeping in scope and brimming with vivid detail...a riveting and insightful book.” —Wendy Pearlman...

This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.

The Middle East has long been a region of rival religions, ideologies, nationalisms, and ambitions. All of these conflicts are rooted in the region's political inheritance: the arrangements, unities, and divisions imposed by the Allies after the First World War. Author David Fromkin reveals how and why the Allies drew lines on an empty map that remade the geography and politics of the Middle East. Focusing on the formative years of 1914 to 1922, when all seemed possible, he delivers in this sweeping and magisterial book the definitive account of this defining time.

“Lively. . . . Rousing. . . . Prophecy—roving, intelligent, irreducibly idiosyncratic—can expand our sense of possibility, starting now.” —The New York Times Book Review Tech empires are the prophets of the modern day, and like the ancient oracles and medieval astrologers that preceded...

In Israel and the West, it is called the Six Day War. In the Arab world, it is known as the June War or, simply, as "the Setback". Never has a conflict so short, unforeseen, and largely unwanted by both sides so transformed the world. The Yom Kippur War, the war in Lebanon, the Camp David accords, the controversy over Jerusalem and Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the intifada, and the rise of Palestinian terror are all part of the outcome of those six days.

In the autumn of 1347, twelve Genoese galleys drifted into the port of Messina, Sicily. They were not crewed by boisterous sailors, but by specters ravaged by a mysterious illness, their bodies covered in dark swellings and their minds lost to a feverish delirium . Within days, an invisible killer was unleashed, beginning a reign of terror that would bring Medieval Europe to its knees and erase nearly half its population. Medical Mysteries – The Bubonic Plague chronicles the history of the world’s most devastating pandemic. Journey back to a time of unimaginable horror and confusion, ...

Before the Strait of Hormuz became the world’s most watched energy chokepoint, it was a drowned plain, a migration corridor, a Bronze Age trade route, a medieval island kingdom, and the gate through which empires tried to command the seas. Hurmuz tells that full story in one sweeping narrative. Beginning with geology, post-glacial flooding, and the first human movements out of Africa, this book follows the making of the Persian Gulf world through ancient trade, Persian and Islamic empires, the rise of medieval Hormuz, Portuguese and British power, the pearl age, oil, tanker wars, and the ...

*The basis for the documentary Join or Die—now streaming on Netflix!* Updated to include a new chapter about the influence of social media and the Internet—the 20th anniversary edition of Bowling Alone remains a seminal work of social analysis, and its examination of what happened to our...

**Narrated by the Author** An essential guide for parents and caregivers, this book offers insights, strategies, and understanding to navigate middle childhood (ages 6–12). Dr. Sheryl Gonzalez Ziegler, a seasoned clinical psychologist and mother, highlights ways to foster resilience, encourage...

In an Arizona desert a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the...

An essential new history of Central Europe, the contested lands so often at the heart of world history  Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history of the...

This audiobook is compellingly read by the author, Jeremy Bowen. A Spectator and New Statesman Book of the Year 'An illuminating and riveting read’ – Jonathan Dimbleby Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been covering the Middle East since 1989 and is uniquely placed to...

Learning about history helps us understand how we got where we are today—and how to make the world a better place. From the rise of Mesopotamia in the distant past to the global pandemic of 2020, this kid-friendly journey takes young learners through thousands of years of history, one key event at a time.

If you want to discover the captivating history of Europe, then this audiobook might be what you're looking for. It includes five books that cover topics like ancient history, influence of ancient Greece and Rome, fall of the Roman Empire, the Renaissance, important events, and much more.

Crescent Dawn features some of the legendary figures of the era – from Mehmet the Conqueror, and Suleiman the Magnificent on the Ottoman side, to Charles V and Vasco de Gama on the other – and some of the most exotic locales on Earth – from the sumptuous palaces of Constantinople to the bloody battlefields of the Balkans to the awe-inspiring mountains of Ethiopia. This is a colorful history that brings the great battles of the age to life and clearly shows how the western struggle against the Ottomans constituted the first truly world war.

An astonishing retelling of 20th-century history from the Ottoman perspective, delivering profound new insights into World War I and the contemporary Middle East. Between 1911 and 1922, a series of wars would engulf the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, in which the central conflict, of course, was World War I - a story we think we know well. As Sean McMeekin shows us in this revelatory new history of what he calls the "wars of the Ottoman succession", we know far less than we think.