Sheeesh.... that's some task.
When you speak of the Mid East you are talking about some of the oldest, continually occupied, places on earth in an area from Catal Huyuk south through Jericho to Egypt. Signs of towns go back 9-10,000 years (bible-thumping idiots not withstanding.)
So I'm guessing that what you really mean is the history since the muslim conquest? What you really need is a book called "How to Die for Your Phony God - No Matter Which One It Is" but I'm not aware of any such book. On Islam I would recommend Robert Spencer's "Did Mohammed Exist." The muslims around here will go birdshit because Spencer treats their precious religion roughly but you won't learn anything from some guy who can't say two words without praising allah or some shit. Spencer regards Mohammed as a literary creation, similar to jesus and all the others, around whom a religion was created. Politically, this is unimportant. Islam, like xtianity, exists and is the major player on the set from the 7th century onward.
On the other side, I know of no book which could deal in sufficient depth with the slice of history from the Roman Empire, through the Byzantine Empire, the Crusades, the Re-Conquista in Spain, the constant fighting between the Turks and the Balkan states, right up to WWI. I have heard of one called "Lost to the West" which is a history of the Byzantine Empire and it got fairly good reviews but I haven't read it.
Good luck with this project.
When you speak of the Mid East you are talking about some of the oldest, continually occupied, places on earth in an area from Catal Huyuk south through Jericho to Egypt. Signs of towns go back 9-10,000 years (bible-thumping idiots not withstanding.)
So I'm guessing that what you really mean is the history since the muslim conquest? What you really need is a book called "How to Die for Your Phony God - No Matter Which One It Is" but I'm not aware of any such book. On Islam I would recommend Robert Spencer's "Did Mohammed Exist." The muslims around here will go birdshit because Spencer treats their precious religion roughly but you won't learn anything from some guy who can't say two words without praising allah or some shit. Spencer regards Mohammed as a literary creation, similar to jesus and all the others, around whom a religion was created. Politically, this is unimportant. Islam, like xtianity, exists and is the major player on the set from the 7th century onward.
On the other side, I know of no book which could deal in sufficient depth with the slice of history from the Roman Empire, through the Byzantine Empire, the Crusades, the Re-Conquista in Spain, the constant fighting between the Turks and the Balkan states, right up to WWI. I have heard of one called "Lost to the West" which is a history of the Byzantine Empire and it got fairly good reviews but I haven't read it.
Good luck with this project.
