Author Description

The Encyclopedia fills a void in scholarship with 4200 authoritative articles on the people, places, ideas & events that have shaped the region in the modern era."The editors, all associated with the Columbia University Middle East Institute of Palestine Studies, Washington, D.C., have aimed to create a comprehensive reference work for the English-speaking general public that would provide balanced, proportionate, scholarly coverage of the Middle East from 1800 to the present. In this ambitious undertaking they have succeeded admirably. The four-volume set contains over 4000 signed articles (most with bibliographies) covering the 24 countries of the Middle East from Morocco to Afghanistan, including Israel & other non-Arab, non-Muslim countries such as Cyprus & Malta. The extent of coverage of a topic was determined by its usefulness & relevance to readers; hence, the most space was given to Egypt, Israel, Turkey, petroleum, agriculture & other matters of interest to the Western world. Cultural, religious & social topics are also included, as are historical/political events & people, so that information on obscure subjects (such as the Alevi & Bektashi sects) is provided as well. The 300 contributors are mostly academics from the USA, UK & the Middle East. This encyclopedia is unique in its breadth & currency; The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the Middle East & N. Africa (1988) is much less extensive & is nearly ten years old, while The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (LJ 3/15/95) is current but has a narrower focus. Where affordable, this is a valuable reference tool recommended for most libraries."--Ruth K. Baacke, Whatcom Cty Library System, Bellingham, WA.