Perseus Academic: Middle East Patterns by Colbert C. Held

Featured in…

• Title Postcard:
  Middle East Patterns, Fifth Edition
• Subject Postcard:
  Middle East Studies WV Fall 12

Now in its fifth edition, Middle East Patterns continues to be the most comprehensive and authoritative geographical study of the region. New coauthor John Thomas Cummings joins Colbert C. Held in updating this classic work while retaining the well-received framework of past editions. The authors first cover the Middle East from a topical perspective, considering the region's biophysical, ethnographic, economic, and geopolitical patterns, and then provide in-depth country-by-country coverage. The fifth edition maintains the book's distinctive focus on geography, natural resources, and land-use patterns while integrating updated comparative material on development economics and political economy throughout the book, as well as new sections on terrorism and piracy and the effects of development on women's health issues. Richly illustrated with more than 100 photos and 60 maps, this acclaimed book remains the best accessible resource for students and general readers who seek to understand the spatial dynamics of the Middle East.

Colbert C. Held is former diplomat-in-residence at Baylor University. He served for fifteen years as a foreign service officer with assignments in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, as well as successive temporary missions in every country in the Middle East.

John Thomas Cummings has spent nearly thirty years in the Middle East with the US Department of the Treasury, USAID, and the World Bank. He has taught economic development and international economics at Al-Hikma University Baghdad, Suffolk University, Tufts University, and the University of Texas at Austin