A concise history of the Middle East / Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., Lawrence Davidson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- The Middle East before Muhammad -- The prophet of Mecca -- What is Islam? -- The early Arab conquests -- The High Caliphate -- Shiites and Turks, Crusaders and Mongols -- Islamic civilization -- Firearms, slaves, and empires -- European interests and imperialism -- Westernizing reform in the nineteenth century -- The rise of nationalism -- The roots of Arab bitterness -- Modernizing rulers in the independent states -- Egypt and the fertile crescent under European control -- The contest for Palestine -- Israel's rebirth and the rise of Arab nationalism -- War and the quest for peace -- The reassertion of Islamic power -- The Gulf War and the peace process -- The war on terrorism -- Chronology -- Glossary -- Appendix table 1: Basic statistics for Middle Eastern countries -- Appendix table 2: How many Palestinians?