While the struggle for peace in the Middle East remains one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, here is a fascinating and meticulously researched history of the region. In this masterful work, Mansfield explores two centuries of history in the volatile Middle East, creating a revealing political and social portrait.

Until 1893, Mary Kingsley lived the typical life of a single Victorian woman, tending to sick relatives and keeping house for her brother. However, on the death of her parents, she undertook an extraordinary decision: with no prior knowledge of the region, she set out alone to West Africa to pursue her anthropological interests.