From Booklist
The period of time covered by the 113 black-and-white and green-and-gray-tinted maps ranges from 2500 B.C. to the present day. Clearly written text accompanies each map. The maps are generally clear, even when there are two on a page. Many of the map-text combinations are fascinating, for example, the impact of the Black Death in the fourteenth century. Extensive detail on some pages requires the user to carefully follow various kinds of lines. For example, the map showing all seven of the Crusades on one page is difficult to use. Each map includes a scale and latitude and longitude. Mountains, deserts, and other terrain are clearly conveyed. Seven maps of Jerusalem during different periods of history are clear, but the green tint showing elevation is distracting. While most of the maps convey the history of the area, a few are on such corollary topics as Semitic languages and the development of writing, natural resources, and the percentage of Muslims in each country of the world.
A table of contents provides easy access to the maps. The four-page subject index is selective and lists only map numbers, not quadrants on the map. A three-page bibliography reflects an impressive range of resources consulted, including esoteric works on individual countries and recent books. It does not include the highly praised 1987 Cambridge Atlas of the Middle East and North Africa, which covers the area more broadly on contemporary subjects.
Historical Atlas of the Middle East will be welcomed by staff and users in academic and large public libraries. Though there are several other atlases of the contemporary Middle East, this one is unique for its historical approach.
