Adolescence in a Moroccan Town, Making Social Sense  •  John W.M. Whiting  •  Douglas A. Davis  •  Susan Schaefer Davis CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1989 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES An illuminating, serious study of adolescents in a northern Moroccan town. The authors examine sexuality, family, friendship, courtship, marriage, and social deviance through interviews with 150 youths and their families. (MRC54, $25.00)
The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century  •  Ross E. Dunn TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 359 PAGES A modern historian's account of Ibn Battuta's travels in the medieval Islamic world. When Battuta left his native Morocco in 1325, he intended a pilgrimage to Mecca; however his travels ultimately took him as far as Mali in the west and Malaysia in the east, stopping in China, the Middle East, and much of Africa along the way. With Battuta's peregrinations as a framework, Dunn embarks on a scholarly exploration of the medieval Muslim world. He includes lengthy excerpts from Battuta's writing (Battuta's own account is also currently in print, Item AFR106) . With excellent maps. (AFR103, $21.95)
Africa  •  Michael Lewis  •  John Reader CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES An informative survey of the geography, culture and wildlife of Africa featuring 175 color photographs and accompanying text by John Reader (Africa: A Biography of the Continent). Organized geographically, it's the companion volume to an eight-hour television series by PBS and National Geographic. (AFR111, $50.00)
African Rock Art, Paintings and Engravings On Stone  •  David Coulson  •  Alec Campbell ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES • COMING IN This beautifully illustrated overview, which ranges all over the continent, includes a section on Libya's rock art. With 200 color photos and 178 black-and-white drawings. The author is founder and first director of the National Museum and Art Gallery of Botswana. (AFR136, $60.00)
African Wildlife  •  Raymond Leung  •  James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PLASTIC CARD A laminated foldout guide illustrating almost 150 species of African animals. This pocket guide is designed for quick reference in the field. (AFR109, $5.95)
Al-Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation  •  Ali Jamale Ahmed RELIGION •  2001 •  PAPER  • 571 PAGES A handsome bilingual edition of the sacred text of the Muslims, translated elegantly and accessibly by the late Pakistani novelist and poet. Ali revised the translation of the original text for this revised 1993 edition. With explanatory notes, original Arabic and English verse translations. (ISL02, $19.95)
Algeria, The Bradt Travel Guide  •  Johathan Oakes GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A practical guide in the popular Bradt series, noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations. (NAF61, $26.99)
Arabic, a Language Map  •  Kristine K. Kershul LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2003 •  PLASTIC CARD This durable, foldout card, featuring 1,000 words and phrases, works as a quick reference for travelers. (ARB70, $7.95)
The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800  •  Sheila Blair  •  Jonathan Bloom ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES An illustrated survey of the great monuments and art produced by Muslim peoples from the 13th to 19th centuries, including the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the art and architecture of the Medieval Arab world. (ISL27, $40.00)
Augustine of Hippo, A Biography  •  Peter Robert Lamont Brown BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER As an account of St. Augustine's life this biography is second only to The Confessions. Brown's impressive research and readable style combine in a fascinating portrait of the 4th century bishop. (ITL799, $22.95)
Bargaining for Reality, The Construction of Social Relations in a Muslim Community  •  Lawrence Rosen CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1984 •  PAPER  • 210 PAGES A scholarly study of interpersonal relationships and social behavior in Moroccan society. (ISL29, $22.00)
Battle of Algiers  •  Gillo Pontecorvo HISTORY •  2004 •  DVD An extraordinary film of the French-Algerian war, filmed in 1966 following Algeria's independence. The authoritative and insightful film portrays both sides of the conflict, conveying the emotional toll of the struggle for independence as well as its political implications. In French with subtitles. Part of the outsanding Criterion Collection of classic films on DVD. (NAF42, $49.95)
The Bazaar, Markets and Merchants of the Islamic World  •  Walter Weiss  •  Kurt-Michael Westermann CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES In addition to hundreds of color photos, this celebration of bazaars throughout the Islamic world includes a history of caravan trade, an overview of the setup of medinas and portraits of bazaars from Marrakech to Samarkand. (CAS36, $50.00)
Beyond the Veil, Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim Society  •  Fatima Mernissi CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1987 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES An examination of sexuality and gender in the modern Muslim world, written by an expert on the roles of women in Islamic society. With a long section on the traditional Muslim view of women, followed by a case study of relations in modern Morocco. (MDE35, $14.95)
Blue Guide Tunisia  •  Blue Guides GUIDEBOOK •  1996 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Known for its outstanding coverage of ancient history and archaeology, this Blue Guide to Tunisia offers comprehensive coverage of the country's art, culture and archaeology. With site plans, travel information and a section of color photographs. Serious-minded travelers will not want to be without it. (TUN08, $19.95)
Bradt Guide Sudan  •  Paul Clammer GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A practical guide in the popular Bradt series, noted for publishing travel guides to remote and little-visited destinations. (AFR152, $21.95)
Cadogan Morocco  •  Barnaby Rogerson GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 648 PAGES A guidebook in the respected British Cadogan series, this comprehensive look at Morocco provides insightful cultural and historical background, and up-to-date practical information. The heart of the book contains region-by-region descriptions aimed at the well read traveler. With some illustrations and excellent maps. (MRC50, $24.95)
Call of the Desert, The Sahara  •  Philippe Bourseiller NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 424 PAGES The handsome coffee table book features color photographs of the landscapes, cultures and wildlife of the Sahara. (NAF34, $50.00)
Children of the New World, A Novel of the Algerian War  •  Assia Djebar LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES An insightful, emotional testament to the violence and heartbreak of Algeria's war for independence from the perspective of Algerians. Djebar sets her novel in a small mountain town, interweaving the experiences of several characters throughout the course of a single day at the height of the French-Algerian war. Originally published in French in 1961 and finally now available in an English translation. (NAF43, $15.95)
The Comedies  •  Terence  •  Betty Radice LITERATURE •  1976 •  PAPER (ITL801, $15.00)
A Comparative Political Economy of Tunisia and Morocco, on the Outside of Europe Looking in  •  Gregory White HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES A scholarly study of Euro-Maghribi relations, particularly the impact of European integration on the economy and politics of Morocco and Tunisia. (NAF57, $21.95)
Confessions  •  Saint, Bishop of Hippo Augustine RELIGION •  1998 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES (ITL800, $7.95)
Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco  •  Paula Wolfert FOOD •  1987 •  PAPER  • 330 PAGES Paula Wolfert has done more than anyone to elevate Americans' consciousness of the marvelous foods of the Mediterranean. Her cookbooks are uniformly pleasurable: both informative reads and excellent kitchen companions. In this book, she turns her attentions to Morocco and its national cuisine, with great results. (MRC43, $19.00)
Cultural Atlas of Africa  •  Jocelyn Murray CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 240 PAGES This book is a handsomely illustrated atlas of African history and culture with 96 outstanding maps, 250 color photographs and excellent essays. (AFR47, $50.00)
Desert Divers  •  Sven Lindqvist EXPLORATION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A lyrical account of Lindqvist's travels through the Sahara, taking as its theme the stereotypes and racial prejudices of Andre Gide, Antoine de St. Exupery and other literary idols who found inspiration in the desert. Lindqvist, a scholar who has written widely on racism, is fascinated by the men who clean the wells in the Sahara, hence the odd title. (NAF12, $12.95)
Dreams of Trespass, Tales of a Harem Girlhood  •  Fatima Mernissi BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 242 PAGES • FAVORITE This gentle memoir captures the hierarchy and decorum of growing up behind the door of a harem, which, as the author explains, is not necessarily a collection of wives, but rather a house in which all the women of a family are secluded. The work is also an engrossing portrait of Fez in the 1940s. Mernissi, a sociologist, brings to vivid and often hilarious detail the exploits of the various women in the house: her mother, fighting against the veil, her grandmother, clinging to tradition, and especially a divorced aunt, who teaches her much about rebellion. Surely the most charming feminist tract ever written. (Mernissi has also written "Beyond the Veil," a scholarly study of relations between the genders in Muslim society, item MDE35.) (MRC10, $17.00)
Eastern Approaches  •  Fitzroy MacLean BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 543 PAGES • COMING IN An action-packed account of Fitzroy MacLeans's adventures undercover in the Central Asian Republics of the USSR during Stalin's reign, as a commando in the Long Range Desert Group in North Africa, and his work with the Partisans in Yugoslavia during World War II. MacLean (often touted as the real-life inspiration for Ian Fleming's James Bond) is not only a good writer but an eyewitness to historic events. Originally published in 1949. (CAS48, $30.00)
Empires of Sand  •  David Ball LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 770 PAGES A rousing tale inspired by the French attempt to build a railroad across the Sahara in 1880. It's a page-turner in the grand style, mixing up French colonial ambitions, the nomadic Tuareg and romance. The book neatly divides into two sections: growing up in Paris and confrontation in the Sahara. (NAF33, $7.99)
The English Patient  •  Michael Ondaatje LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 305 PAGES Ondaatje's luminous novel, which unfolds at a villa in Tuscany and in the North African desert during World War II. (ITL703, $14.95)
Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East  •  Donna Lee Bowen  •  Evelyn A. Early CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 411 PAGES The second edition of a diverse collection of articles on life in the modern Muslim countries by Middle Eastern and Western scholars, revised and updated. It includes scholarly and popular essays, short stories, and traditional songs. The anthology is organized thematically into sections on life passages, relations between the sexes, home, religion, performance and entertainment. With good suggestions for further reading, glossary and notes. (MDE34, $23.95)
Eyewitness Guide Morocco  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 408 PAGES Gorgeously illustrated and filled with excellent maps, this compact book is a thorough overview of Morocco, its history, traditions, cultures and sights. With hundreds of color photographs and illustrations. (MRC58, $25.00)
Eyewitness Guide Tunisia  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES Featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions. (TUN28, $25.00)
Footprint Morocco Handbook  •  Justin McGuinness GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES • COMING IN JANUARY This comprehensive guide in the British series reflects the spirit of its author, an Arabic speaker who taught at the University of Tunis and has an interest in medinas. With an overview of culture and history, color maps, site diagrams and detailed practical information. (MRC18, $24.95)
Formation of Islamic Art  •  Oleg Grabar ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES A classic on the art and architecture of the Islamic World by a prominent authority. (ARB28, $30.00)
From Slave to Pharaoh, The Black Experience of Ancient Egypt  •  Donald B. Redford HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES In a lively and engaging style, Redford examines the once powerful Nubian kingdom of southern Egypt and the Sudan and the racial and cultural tensions with the ancent Egyptians. (EGY188, $22.95)
The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa  •  Alexander McCall Smith LITERATURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES McCall Smith brings together a collection of often hilarious, often bizarre folktales which he heard as a child growing up in Zimbabwe. In addition to the tales from his previous collection, Children of Wax, the best-selling author includes seven new tales from Botswana. In an interesting twist on a writer's creation, the title character of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency provides an introduction. (AFR141, $22.00)
The Hadj, An American's Journey to Mecca  •  Michael Wolfe TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES Wolfe, an American convert to Islam and scholar, recounts his own journey from Morocco to Mecca, the people he met and the sights along the way. It's a lively travelogue, detailed and engaging. The author also put together an anthology of writings on the Hadj called One Thousand Roads to Mecca (ARB02). (ARB01, $16.00)
Hannibal  •  Serge Lancel BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A biography of Hannibal by the well regarded French historian Serge Lancel. (TUN06, $39.95)
Hannibal, A History of the Art of War  •  Theodore Ayrault Dodge HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 704 PAGES Dodge covers the life of Hannibal, the history of the conflict between Carthage and Rome, and daily life in the Roman legions in this classic history, originally published in the 19th century. (TUN04, $22.50)
Hideous Kinky, A Novel  •  Esther Freud LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 186 PAGES A mother (played by Kate Winslet in the movie) and two daughters meander in Morocco in search of meaning in this autobiographical novel by the daughter of British painter Lucien Freud. (MRC49, $14.00)
A History of the Arab Peoples  •  Albert Hourani HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 551 PAGES A grand history of the Arab world by the distinguished Oxford historian Albert Hourani, this is a readable and much acclaimed survey that ranges over 13 centuries. It chronicles the political, spiritual, religious and cultural traditions of the Arab peoples in 26 lucidly written chapters. This book has been called a landmark and a masterpiece -- and it's essential to understanding the Middle East. (MDE11, $16.99)
A History of the Sudan, From the Coming of Islam to the Present Day  •  P. M. Holt  •  M.W. Daly HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 222 PAGES A contemporary history of Sudan and how it has been shaped by Britain and the Ottoman Empire. (AFR169, $50.60)
In Search of Islamic Feminism, One Woman's Global Journey  •  Elizabeth Warnock and Rob Fernea TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Seeking an answer to whether feminism is possible under Islam, the author embarks upon a two year journey through the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Traveling through Uzbekistan, Morocco, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, Elizabeth Fernea, a professor of Middle Eastern studies, chronicles the diversity of female experience in each nation. (ISL28, $15.95)
Insight Guide Mediterranean Cruises  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 300 PAGES Covering 120 ports of call throughout the Mediterranean from the Canary Islands to Egypt. (MED94, $22.95)
Islam and Democracy, Fear of the Modern World  •  Fatima Mernissi HISTORY •  1993 •  PAPER  • 195 PAGES A short, inflammatory book on the possibility of democracy in the Middle East by a well known Moroccan critic, historian and feminist. (ISL06, $17.50)
Islam and the West  •  Bernard Lewis RELIGION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 217 PAGES In this illuminating collection of essays, one of the great authorities on the Middle East explores the common ground shared by Islam and the West. It is an excellent guide to the history of the relationship between East and West. (ARB12, $18.95)
Islamic Art and Architecture  •  Robert Hillenbrand ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Covering one thousand years and the geographic scope of Islam, this book is a wide-ranging guide to the arts of Islam, including architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, and textiles. A marvelously compact synthesis, it focuses on major styles associated with Muslim dynasties including the Ottomans. With a useful glossary of Islamic terms, time line, maps and 270 illustrations, many in color. (CAS17, $18.95)
Islamic Art and Architecture, 650-1250  •  Richard Ettinghausen  •  Oleg Grabar ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 360 PAGES An illustrated survey of the great monuments and art produced by Muslim peoples during medieval times, including the Dome of the Rock, as well as many small aritfacts. (ISL26, $40.00)
Islamic Arts  •  Jonathan Bloom  •  Sheila Blair ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 445 PAGES A comprehensive survey of 1,000 years of Islamic architecture, design and decoration. Illustrated throughout with color photographs, maps and site plans. For anyone with an interest in art, this book is a wonderfully illuminating, stimulating introduction to the subject. (ISL01, $24.95)
Islamic Society in Practice  •  Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban RELIGION •  2004 •  PAPER  • 201 PAGES An introduction to the influence of Islam on the structuring of Arab societies, most specifically those of Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia. It offers an instructive and positive perspective on the oft-misunderstood social and religious practice of North Africa. (ISL12, $29.95)
Islamism and Secularism in North Africa  •  John Ruedy RELIGION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES A discussion of Islamic movements in North Africa with contributions by international scholars. (ISL13, $40.95)
The Journey of Theophanes, Travel, Business, and Daily Life in the Roman East  •  John Matthews HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 264 PAGES The story of a Roman lawyer's journey from the Nile Valley to Antioch, translated from ancient documents and placed in historical context. This scholarly text offers a rare look at the daily life of a Roman official in the eastern provinces of the empire. (MED114, $65.00)
Living in Morocco  •  Lisl Dennis  •  Landt Dennis CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES A celebration of the lavish decoration that colors Moroccan life. Glorious photos bring colorful interiors, distinct architecture and traditional folk art into the context of quotidian life. With 364 color illustrations. (MRC53, $29.95)
Lonely Planet Algeria  •  Lonely Planet Publications GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER A practical guide in the popular series. (NAF55, $23.99)
Lonely Planet Libya  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series, featuring basic information for getting around as well as plenty of details on sightseeing. Includes several maps. (NAF18, $25.99)
Lonely Planet Moroccan Arabic Phrasebook  •  Dan Bacon LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2008 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES This handy phrasebook includes pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary. (MRC15, $8.99)
Lonely Planet Morocco  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES A comprehensive, practical guide to Morocco in the hallmark Lonely Planet style featuring a section of color photographs and excellent local maps. Geared for the independent traveler, the book includes a good introduction to the country in addition to the usual nuts-and-bolts information on where to go, sleep and eat. It includes information on trekking routes in the High Atlas and Rif mountains. (MRC19, $24.99)
Lonely Planet Tunisia  •  Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES A compact guide to the country with excellent maps and a brief overview of history and culture. In the Lonely Planet style it features good information on where to go, stay and eat, and what to see and do . (TUN12, $20.99)
Lords of the Atlas, The Rise and Fall of the House of Glaoua  •  Gavin Maxwell TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 316 PAGES • COMING IN NOVEMBER A classic account of the tribal warlords of the Atlas Mountains -- and of life in French colonial Morocco. In this rousing tale and excellent introduction to Marrakech, Maxwell (who also wrote "Ring of Bright Water") follows the fate of the despotic Glaoui clan from 1893 to independence from France in 1956. (MRC35, $32.95)
The Lost Oasis, The Desert War and the Hunt for Zerzura  •  Saul Kelly HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES A well-researched, detailed account of exploration of the Libyan desert in the 1920s and 1930s -- and the subsequent Long Range Desert Group. The book (by a specialist in the Great Powers in North Africa) tackles the rivalry between British desert explorer Ralph Bagnold and Hungarian Count Ladislaus Almasy (who was featured in The English Patient). (NAF21, $16.95)
The Magic of Morocco  •  Tahar Ben Jalloun  •  Alain D'Hooghe  •  Mohamed Sijelmassi ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 186 PAGES A collection of photographs, both archival and modern, including such celebrated artists as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Paul Strand. Moroccan novelist Tahar Ben Jelloun provides the introductory essay. (MRC32, $29.95)
Marrakesh, Through Writers' Eyes  •  Barnaby Rogerson  •  Stephen Lavington ANTHOLOGY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES A choice collection of travel writing on the Red City by 40 luminaries, including George Orwell, Winston Churchill, Gavin Maxwell and Peter Mayne. (MRC72, $33.95)
Meeting the Fox: The Allied Invasion of Africa, from Operation Torch to Kasserine Pass to Victory in Tunisia  •  Kelly Orr HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 400 PAGES A detailed account of the desert war in North Africa, culminating with a long section on victory in Tunisia. (NAF39, $35.00)
The Middle Sea, A History of the Mediterranean  •  John Julius Norwich HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 720 PAGES • NEW A marvelous writer who has already tackled Byzantium, the Normans in Sicily and Venice, Norwich spins his magic in this story of culture, trade and politics, royalty and rulers, wars and religion in the Mediterranean from antiquity to the end of the First World War. (MED98, $20.00)
Modern Algeria, The Origins and Development of a Nation  •  John Ruedy HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 325 PAGES An introductory history of Algeria, useful for students and general readers. (NAF58, $22.95)
Mogreb-El-Acksa, A Journey in Morocco  •  R B Cunninghame Graham TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 358 PAGES Originally published in 1898, this is a classic account of a trek into the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and the forbidden city of Tarudant. It includes, among its many pleasures, an excellent portrait of Berber life at the turn of the century, much enhanced by Graham's offhand bravery and wit. (MRC11, $19.95)
Moroccan Interiors  •  Lisa Lovatt-Smith ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES • COMING IN A splendid collection of color photographs, organized geographically, with accompanying essays. The book showcases 40 diverse interiors from palaces and grand hotels to rustic village homes. (MRC52, $19.99)
Morocco Map  •  World Mapping Project 2003 •  MAP A colorful shaded relief map of Morocco at a scale 1:1,000,000. Using the latest cartography from the World Mapping Project, the full color map, printed on rip-proof and waterproof paper, includes topographic features, latitude and longitude, and key visitor attractions. Water depths are indicated by contour lines in shades of blue and white. (MRC13, $9.99)
Morocco Map  •  Michelin Travel Publications 2003 •  MAP A detailed road map of Morocco for travelers with an overview at 1:4 million scale, north and central regions at 1:1,000,000, with Casablanca, Marrakesh and Atlas Mountain regions at at 1:600,000. (MRC17, $10.95)
Morocco Map Laminated  •  Borch Maps 2007 •  MAP A laminated map of Morocco, scale 1:1,400,000 (MRC23, $10.95)
Morocco Since 1830, A History  •  C. R. Pennell HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 442 PAGES A strong scholarly history of the politics of modern Morocco, with a focus on the various colonial influences that have shaped its cultural landscape. With black-and-white photographs, maps and tables. Highly recommended. (MRC31, $25.00)
Nine Parts of Desire, The Hidden World of Islamic Women  •  Geraldine Brooks CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1996 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES An award-winning journalist, Brooks reports on the women throughout the Islamic world, focusing her wide-ranging interviews on the social, religious and political forces that have shaped their lives. This popular in-depth account is a highly readable overview of the role of women in Islamic society. (ARB06, $14.95)
No god but God, The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam  •  Reza Aslan RELIGION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Geared for a popular audience, this provocative book is both a call for reform and a history of early Muslim life and practice. Born in Tehran in 1972, Alsan is a journalist, commentator and doctoral candidate in Religious Studies at The University of California at Santa Barbara. (ISL50, $14.95)
Northern Libya Map  •  Cartographia 2001 •  MAP A detailed traveler's road map of northern Libya with insets of Tripoli, the area around Tripoli and Benghaziat a scale of 1:2,000,000. If you are not venturing further south into the Sahara (not covered by the map), this map provides excellent coverage of the Mediterranean coast, including Sabha. It does not cover the portion of Libya, Northern Africa's second largest country, below 26 degrees North (about the level of Marzuq). (NAF20, $12.00)
The Olive, Tree of Civilization  •  John Train  •  Mark E. Smith HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 128 PAGES A history of the celebrated vegetable and the mythology behind it. (NAT72, $25.00)
Orientalism  •  Edward W. Said HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES An influential account of Western attitudes and Muslim stereotypes by the great Middle East scholar. First published in 1978. (ISL07, $15.95)
The Path to Victory, The Mediterranean Theater in World War II  •  Douglas Porch HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 816 PAGES A dramatic tale of vital Allied operations in the Mediterranean by military historian Douglas Porch (Conquest of the Sahara, Conquest of Morcco). (MED87, $18.00)
The Peopling of Africa, A Geographic Interpretation  •  James L. Newman CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 252 PAGES An anthropological study of Africa, which considers, among other factors, genetics, religion, language and technology. With 50 maps. (AFR140, $23.00)
The Perfumed Garden of the Cheikh Nefzaoui, A Manual of Arabian Erotology  •  Umar Ibn Muhammad Nafzawi  •  Richard Francis Burton LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES What the "Kama Sutra" did for Hindu culture, "The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delights" did for Arabia. Victorian adventurer and sexologist Richard Burton translated and significantly embroidered them both. A handbook to sex for married men of medieval Tunisia, this "pillow book" edition features 60 full-color illustrations. Written in the late 15th-century, it's one of the first works of erotic literature. (TUN17, $19.95)
Perpetua's Passion  •  Joyce E. Salisbury RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES This scholarly study of an early Christian martyr in third-century Carthage provides great insight into the social and religious forces that aided the burgeoning of Christianity in this outpost of the Roman empire. (TUN09, $28.95)
Pimsleur Quick & Simple Arabic (Eastern)  •  Pimsleur Language Method LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  AUDIO CD An audio CD with eight 30-minute lessons in basic Eastern Arabic, covering elementary vocabulary and phrases used in travel and everyday situations. The Pimsleur method emphasizes the use of listening skills without reading materials (so there isn't a book to follow along). It's advertised as "Totally audio: hear it, learn it, speak it." (ARB69, $19.95)
Piracy, Slavery, and Redemption: Barbary Captivity Narratives from Early Modern England  •  Daniel Vitkus HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A remarkable collection of 17th-century accounts of Englishman captured by Muslim pirates and sold into slavery on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. The Barbary pirates had a fortress at Derna (Tripoli). (NAF25, $30.50)
The Plague  •  Albert Camus LITERATURE •  1991 •  PAPER  • 308 PAGES Chaos prevails when the bubonic plague strikes the Algerian coastal city of Oran. (NAF64, $12.95)
The Quest  •  Wilbur A. Smith LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 504 PAGES The gripping sequel to Warlock (EGY206), set in ancient Egypt, is a tale of adventure and magic. When the Nile dries up, the wise magus Taita must journey towards its source--in the unexplored depths of Africa. (EGY211, $9.99)
Red Moon & High Summer  •  Herbert Kaufmann LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 233 PAGES This is the story of the young bard Mid-e-Mid. famed throughout the vast grazing lands of his Tuareg tribe for his mellifluous voice and quick-witted lyrics. A coming-of-age novel, it follows Mid-e-Mid in his bid to find his own route to manhood in true Tuareg style. Overcoming poverty to win camels of his own, he avenges the death of his father and wins the heart of his beloved, only to find that the solitary life of the wandering minstrel is his destiny. Written by Herbert Kaufmann, a German journalist who lived in Africa in the 1950s and '60s, Red Moon & High Summer is a fast-paced adventure story saturated in Tuareg lore. Though fiction, it gives a truer and more vibrant picture of these mysterious, nomadic people than many an academic volume. (NAF56, $33.95)
The Remarkable Baobab  •  Thomas Pakenham NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES It was inevitable that Pakenham, an historian of Africa with a penchant for the world's most striking and bizarre trees, would discover the baobab. In this followup to Remarkable Trees of the World and Meetings with Remarkable Trees, he focuses on the tremendous, twisted boabab trees of Africa, Madagascar and Australia. Of the world's eight species, six are found in Madagascar. With 60 large-format color photographs. (NAT71, $19.95)
The Rise of Christianity  •  Rodney Stark RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES The subtitle to this book says it all: "How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries." More a sociological study than a religious history, the book delves into what compelled so many people to convert to the then infant religion. (MED64, $14.95)
The Rising Tide, A Novel of the Second World War  •  Jeff Shaara LITERATURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 672 PAGES From the author of Gods and Generals and the son of Michael Shaara, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Killer Angels, comes this piece of historical fiction set during World War II in the Pacific, North Africa and throughout Europe, whose main characters are Hitler, Mussolini, Eisenhower and Churchill. (EUR235, $27.95)
The River War, An Historical of The Reconquest of the Sudan  •  Winston S. Churchill  •  Mary Soames  •  James W. Muller HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A riveting account of the history of the Sudan and its reconquest by Lord Kitchener and an Anglo-Egyptian Army in the 1890s by Winston Churchill, who served as a lieutenant during the war. Abridged from the original two-volume original. (AFR147, $16.95)
Roman Imperial Architecture  •  John Bryan Ward-Perkins ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 532 PAGES This comprehensive handbook covers architecture in Rome and the provinces in detail. Organized geographically, the first 200 pages covers the development of architecture in Rome and Italy with chapters on Greece, Asia Minor, the Roman East and North Africa. The last 100 pages are devoted to Late Pagan Architecture. With black-and-white drawings, maps and site plans well integrated throughout. (ITL525, $40.00)
Roman Warfare  •  Adrian Goldsworthy HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A lively history in the Smithsonian series on the history of warfare. With a chapter on the wars with Carthage and the Hellenistic kingdoms. (ITL681, $17.95)
The Root Causes of Sudan's Civil Wars  •  Douglas Hamilton Johnson HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 234 PAGES Johnson looks at the present conflict in Sudan in this scholarly study, taking into account racial and religious factors in the precolonial era, influence of Islam, nationalism and the influence of the West. (AFR170, $25.95)
Rough Guide Mediterranean Cafe Music  •  Various Artists MUSIC •  2004 •  AUDIO CD A carefully chosen sampling of the diverse sounds of the cafe culture along the Mediterranean coasts, including music of Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Algeria and Egypt. (MED100, $14.98)
Rough Guide Morocco  •  Rough Guide GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 800 PAGES A practical, comprehensive guide in the fine British series aimed at the independent traveler, with detailed background on Morocco's culture and history and helpful information for getting around the country. Accomodations and transportation in the major towns and cities are featured. Includes 79 helpful sketch maps. (MRC51, $23.99)
Rough Guide Tunisia  •  Peter Morris  •  Daniel Jacobs GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 501 PAGES A compact, authoritative guide to Tunisia, its history, culture and attractions with good local maps. Most of the book is devoted to detailed recommendations for excursions throughout the country, covering in detail both popular and remote destinations. This is the guide to carry. (TUN18, $19.99)
Sahara  •  Michael Palin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES In this endearing romp, the peripatetic Palin crosses the Sahara, depicting the desert's diverse cultures and rich history with characteristic wit. (NAF63, $16.95)
Sahara Overland, A Route and Planning Guide  •  Chris Scott GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 672 PAGES A remarkably detailed and opinionated practical guide in the British series, covering rough travel across North Africa from Morocco and Mauritania to Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mali, Niger, Chad and Egypt. With helpful tips on chapters on vehicles, and traveling by bicycle and camel. landmines, desert survival and navigation. Latitude and longitude is given for dunes and other landmarks. (NAF36, $29.95)
Salammbo  •  Gustave Flaubert  •  A.J. Krailsheimer LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 282 PAGES A highly fanciful romance set in the ancient city of Carthage at the height of the Punic Wars. (TUN23, $15.00)
The Sand Child  •  Alan Sheridan  •  Tahar Ben Jelloun LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 165 PAGES The politically charged story of Mohammed Ahmed, a girl raised as a boy to escape the limited life offered women in Islamic society. The award-winning Moroccan author continues the story in "The Sacred Night," when Mohammed gives up her disguise. (MRC27, $19.95)
A Savage War of Peace, Algeria 1954-1962  •  Alistair Horne HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 608 PAGES An updated edition of Horne's definitive chronicle of the Algerian insurgency against French colonial rule, originally published in 1977. This protected, brutal conflict has been compared to the situation in Iraq. In all, France sent more than more than half a million troops in an intractable war that left 30,000 French and probably a million Algerians dead and hundreds of thousands dislocated. (NAF60, $19.95)
Septimius Severus, The African Emperor  •  Anthony Birley ARCHAEOLOGY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 292 PAGES An engaging, scholarly biography of the Roman emperor (A.D. 146-211) born in North Africa. The early chapters are a good introduction to Leptis Magna and life in Tripolitania. With maps, drawings and illustrations. Originally published in 1971. (NAF28, $40.95)
The Seventy Great Journeys in History  •  Robin Hanbury-Tenison HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 304 PAGES A celebration of adventurers in human history from Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun to Marco Polo, Columbus, Charles Darwin and Neil Armstrong. With full-color photos, illustrations and maps. (TVL119, $40.00)
South from Barbary, Along the Slave Routes of the Libyan Sahara  •  Justin Marozzi TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 354 PAGES The blistering account of a three-month-long, 1,500-mile journey by camel through the deserts of Libya on the old slave route by an ill-equipped and ornery British journalist and his companion. Marozzi interweaves politics and history with his tale of modern adventure. (NAF23, $14.99)
The Spider's House  •  Paul Bowles LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 406 PAGES Set in Fez during a 1954 nationalist uprising, this richly descriptive novel may be the most evocative of Paul Bowles' many novels and stories set in Morocco. Simultaneously poetic and political, Bowles teases out the complexities of independence, focusing on issues of post-colonialism, Westernization and Moroccan identity. First published in 1955. (MRC08, $14.95)
Stolen Lives, Twenty Years in a Desert Jail  •  Malika Oufkir BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 294 PAGES In this riveting memoir, Oukfir vividly recalls the horrors of her struggle for survival as a political prisoner in Morocco. Born into privilege, Oukfir was imprisoned along with her family after her father, a general, was accused of attempting to stage a coup. Not for the faint of heart, Oufkir renders her family's brutal treatment in gruesome detail. (MRC62, $14.00)
A Street in Marrakech, A Personal View of Urban Women in Morocco  •  Elizabeth Warnock Fernea TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 382 PAGES This intimate account of an American woman and ethnographer on a year abroad with her family in 1972 brims with lively descriptions of daily life of women in and around the medina In Marrakech. (MRC29, $24.95)
Sudan Map  •  ITMB 2008 •  MAP A full-color map of Sudan at a scale of 1:1:2,500,000. With an inset of Khartoum. (AFR75, $12.95)
Sufferings in Africa, The Astonishing Account of a New England Sea Captain Enslaved by North African Arabs  •  James Riley BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Captain Riley's best-selling account of misadventure and suffering in Northwest Africa (including the shipwreck of his brig Commerce and four-month captivity as a slave) still makes good reading after all these years. It's a very popular, often reprinted, tale first published in 1817 as "An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce." (NAF15, $14.95)
Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea  •  Robert D. Kaplan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES Robert Kaplan, the prolific journalist and author of Balkan Ghosts, travelled through Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea for this illuminating travelogue examining the culture, religion, and politics of the region. Kaplan also pays particular attention to the formidable impact of the 1980s famine. (AFR155, $13.95)
Three Novels of Ancient Egypt Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War  •  Naguib Mahfouz LITERATURE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 648 PAGES (EGY198, $26.95)
Traditional Moroccan Cooking, Recipes from Fez  •  Claudia Roden  •  Madame Guinaudeau FOOD •  2000 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Madame Guinaudeau's classic guide to Moroccan cuisine, first published in 1958, explores the rich culinary traditions of Fez with charming anecdotes, recipes, drawings and chapters on everything from choosing spices and preserving lemons to The Art of Making and Drinking Tea. (MRC44, $14.95)
Travels in Egypt and Nubia  •  Gian Battista Belzoni TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES (NAF54, $12.95)
TravelTalk Moroccan Arabic  •  TravelTalk LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  AUDIO CD  • 176 PAGES A combination Lonely Planet phrasebook and one-hour audio casette, designed as an introduction for the traveler to Arabic as it is spoken in Morocco. The CD, which is divided into 18 short lessons, covers 300 key words and phrases. (MRC20, $16.95)
Tribal Rugs  •  Jenny Housego ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 180 PAGES This beautifully illustrated book details the making of woven tribal rugs, elaborating on not only the construction of the rugs themselves, but the tribal history behind them. Highly recommended. (GEN101, $19.95)
Tuhami, Portrait of a Moroccan  •  Vincent Crapanzano CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1985 •  PAPER  • 205 PAGES The life story of a man possessed by spirits as told to an inquiring anthropologist. It's a scholarly, complex book about a tilemaker who believes he married a she-devil, and his ethnographic encounter with the author. (MRC16, $15.00)
Tunisia Map  •  Freytag & Berndt MAP A colorful shaded relief map of Tunisia at a good scale of 1:750,000. (TUN10, $10.95)
A Vanished World  •  Wilfred Thesiger BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 200 PAGES This stunning record of an unusually eventful life takes in Thesiger's travels and adventures in revolutionary Ethiopia and the mountains of the Hindu Kush, his time among the Marsh Arabs of Iraq, his long stint living in Northern Kenya, and, memorably, his long love affair with the Empty Quarter of Oman (memorialized in "Arabian Sands"). Ninety-one-year-old Thesiger selected the black-and-white photographs for this album, which include many of his portraits of people and ways of life long gone. (ARB56, $35.00)
The War with Hannibal  •  Titus Livy HISTORY •  1965 •  PAPER  • 711 PAGES From a decidedly Roman perspective, the original Roman history of the war with Carthage, translated from Latin. (TUN05, $17.00)
Water, The Fate of our Most Precious Resource  •  Marq de Villiers NATURAL HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES An examination of the world's water supply and the global impact of its mismanagement. Giving water its due as our most important natural resource, de Villiers argues that while water supplies are still high, ill-advised irrigation practices are wreaking havoc on the environment. (NAT57, $16.00)
Women of Algiers in Their Apartment  •  Assia Djebar  •  Marjolijn De Jager LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES Written by an Algerian Francophone author, this rich, lyrical collection of interwoven short stories peers into the mysterious space of the "harem" and illustrates the lives of Muslim women in Algeria, prisonners of society well after the liberation of their country. (NAF08, $19.50)
The World of Islam  •  Don Belt CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Collecting more than twenty five National Geographic articles from the last one hundred years, this glimpse into the Islamic world is a fascinating examination of the evolving relationship between East and West. With photographs and illustrations thoughout. (ISL30, $22.00)
Wounding Words, A Woman's Journal in Tunisia  •  Evelyne Accad BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1996 •  PAPER  • 183 PAGES A chronicle of a year spent in Tunisia by a Lebanese poet, musician and feminist. Accad writes lyrically and ardently about women's lives in an Islamic nation. (TUN22, $13.95)
A Year in Marrakesh  •  Peter Mayne TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 190 PAGES This brilliantly entertaining, insightful classic account of Marrakesh captures the rhythm and spirit of life in the backways of the Medina in the 1950s. First published by John Murray as The Alleys of Marrakesh. (MRC55, $25.95)
Year of the Elephant, A Moroccan Women's Journey Toward Independence and other Stories  •  Leila Abouzeid LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 103 PAGES A short novel, first published in Arabic in 1983, set during the Moroccan struggle for independence. Its heroine fights against French colonialism -- and the constraints of her sex and class. This edition includes eight brief stories in addition. (MRC37, $12.95)