The Fertile Crescent, 1800-1914

Book excerpt: This is the first comprehensive history and economic analysis of the Fertile Crescent during the 19th century, a region currently encompassing Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and a small part of Turkey. Presenting 155 carefully selected documents--the majority drawn from British and French archives and here published for the first time, the balance translated from Arabic, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, and Turkish sources--Issawi provides an in-depth treatment of the economic life of the region, with chapters on social life and organization, trade, transport, agriculture, industry, and public and private finance. Including extensive cross-references that pinpoint the connections between the subjects discussed, the book is an invaluable resource on a historically rich and dynamic region.