The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years by Bernard Lewis -This is a very readable book by the field’s leading scholar. (http://amzn.to/2zeEApV) A History of the Arab Peoples by Albert Hourani, a classic in the discipline. (http://amzn.to/2xwIHjD) The Arabs: A History by Eugene Rogan – The most readable and up-to-date general history of the past 500 years in the Arab Middle East with a wonderful mix of sources from Egyptian generals to Lebanese barbers. (http://amzn.to/2xy0GBz)