This textbook assembles key writings on the modern history of the Middle East by some of the most distinguished specialists in the field.The book aims to meet the needs of a wide range of students.After a general introduction by Albert Hourani, the essays are arranged in four sections: reforming elites and changing relations with Europe 1789-1918; transformation in society and economy 1789-1918; imperialism and nationalism in the interwar period; and the Middle East since World War II.This revised edition contains a range of additional material on the history of the region since the 1990s.