British Society for Middle Eastern Studies

The Middle East and North Africa 1995Review by: Gerd NonnemanBritish Journal of Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1/2 (1995), pp. 229-230Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/196027 .

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Reviews: Bibliography and Works of Reference Reviews: Bibliography and Works of Reference

A final word on some technical matters is in order. Sometimes, one wishes the author had corrected the few misprints of the original published versions (e.g., their for there on p.28) making these valuable studies even more valuable; however, this would have involved the considerable expense of retypesetting. The newly prepared material has an occasional typographical error as well; yet the book remains highly readable, as nothing really interferes with intelligibility. The index of the individual languages (pp.240-320) plus the glossary of Arabic words (pp.320-373) make this tome user-friendly.

Summing up, then, we can say that any linguist interested in borrowing will find in this volume a treasure chest of interesting data, compiled, impeccably analysed, and carefully scrutinized by one of the most erudite Semitists working today. This genre of research is important, stimulating, and not apt to be outdated with the appearance of a new linguistic paradigm. Leslau's distinguished reputation is well deserved, as these studies conclusively demonstrate.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, ALAN S. KAYE FULLERTON

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 1995. London, Europa Publications, 1994. xx, 1022pp. ?160.

The forty-first edition of this reference work remains head and shoulders above any possible competitors. The price tag in fact becomes almost cheap when one delves into the wealth of information the book offers. This information is both detailed and up-to- date, covering just about anything that one might want to seek information about. As usual, the 'General Survey' (pp.1-194) contains articles relating to the region as a whole, and dealing with the Arab-Israeli confrontation 1967-94 (including an extensive section of documents on the Palestine issue), religion, hydrocarbons and water, and Islamic banking and finance. Among other things, it also includes a useful section on calendars, time reckoning, weights and measures, and a selected but quite extensive bibliography. New this year is an article by George Joff6, 'Algeria: The Failure of Dialogue'. It seems peculiar, though, to place this here rather than under the section for Algeria; it also did not justify dropping the chapter on Islamic politics which had featured in previous editions.

Part two (pp. 195-249), an overview of regional organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, remains a particularly useful, comprehensive survey, not to be found anywhere else. It ranges from international organizations such as the UN and associated bodies, over the European Union, to pan-Arab ones such as the League of Arab States and the various Arab funds, and functional or regional bodies and groupings such as the GCC, OPEC and OAPEC. In all cases one is given the necessary historical information, along with organizational, financial and statistical detail, and a description of activities.

The country surveys in Part three (pp.251-2022) have retained their usual form, covering each country's physical and social geography, followed by sections on history (political and foreign affairs) and the economy; next comes the statistical survey with the latest available data, and the Directory, containing quick-reference information on the constitution, the government, political organizations, diplomatic representation, religion, the media, finance, trade and industry, transport, tourism, defence and education. A brief bibliography concludes each country survey.

The publishers have persisted, however, in their exclusion of Sudan from this volume. This is a pity, as the country and its politics are inextricably linked with the rest of the Arab world (and indeed Iran), and anyone wanting an all-in-one reference work on the region will probably look to it for information on Sudan as well. On a different point,

A final word on some technical matters is in order. Sometimes, one wishes the author had corrected the few misprints of the original published versions (e.g., their for there on p.28) making these valuable studies even more valuable; however, this would have involved the considerable expense of retypesetting. The newly prepared material has an occasional typographical error as well; yet the book remains highly readable, as nothing really interferes with intelligibility. The index of the individual languages (pp.240-320) plus the glossary of Arabic words (pp.320-373) make this tome user-friendly.

Summing up, then, we can say that any linguist interested in borrowing will find in this volume a treasure chest of interesting data, compiled, impeccably analysed, and carefully scrutinized by one of the most erudite Semitists working today. This genre of research is important, stimulating, and not apt to be outdated with the appearance of a new linguistic paradigm. Leslau's distinguished reputation is well deserved, as these studies conclusively demonstrate.

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, ALAN S. KAYE FULLERTON

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA 1995. London, Europa Publications, 1994. xx, 1022pp. ?160.

The forty-first edition of this reference work remains head and shoulders above any possible competitors. The price tag in fact becomes almost cheap when one delves into the wealth of information the book offers. This information is both detailed and up-to- date, covering just about anything that one might want to seek information about. As usual, the 'General Survey' (pp.1-194) contains articles relating to the region as a whole, and dealing with the Arab-Israeli confrontation 1967-94 (including an extensive section of documents on the Palestine issue), religion, hydrocarbons and water, and Islamic banking and finance. Among other things, it also includes a useful section on calendars, time reckoning, weights and measures, and a selected but quite extensive bibliography. New this year is an article by George Joff6, 'Algeria: The Failure of Dialogue'. It seems peculiar, though, to place this here rather than under the section for Algeria; it also did not justify dropping the chapter on Islamic politics which had featured in previous editions.

Part two (pp. 195-249), an overview of regional organizations in the Middle East and North Africa, remains a particularly useful, comprehensive survey, not to be found anywhere else. It ranges from international organizations such as the UN and associated bodies, over the European Union, to pan-Arab ones such as the League of Arab States and the various Arab funds, and functional or regional bodies and groupings such as the GCC, OPEC and OAPEC. In all cases one is given the necessary historical information, along with organizational, financial and statistical detail, and a description of activities.

The country surveys in Part three (pp.251-2022) have retained their usual form, covering each country's physical and social geography, followed by sections on history (political and foreign affairs) and the economy; next comes the statistical survey with the latest available data, and the Directory, containing quick-reference information on the constitution, the government, political organizations, diplomatic representation, religion, the media, finance, trade and industry, transport, tourism, defence and education. A brief bibliography concludes each country survey.

The publishers have persisted, however, in their exclusion of Sudan from this volume. This is a pity, as the country and its politics are inextricably linked with the rest of the Arab world (and indeed Iran), and anyone wanting an all-in-one reference work on the region will probably look to it for information on Sudan as well. On a different point,

229 229

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Reviews: Bibliography and Works of Reference Reviews: Bibliography and Works of Reference

it would seem time to make the section on the 'Israeli-Occupied Territories' into something more than an appendage to the chapter on Israel. In the table of contents it should stand out as much as Spanish North Africa, with Ceuta and Melilla (which are given bold print). The section is good and up-to-date, however, including a list of the members of the Palestine National Authority.

As in previous editions, the speed with which this volume comes to press (not much more than a month between completion and publication) has come at the cost of oversights in editing here and there, such as in some of the bibliographical items. To take the bibliography on Yemen as an example, on p.979 Shaykh Sultan bin Saqr al- Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, would be surprised to find that he had written a book on The Myth of Arab Policy in the Gulf (however useful someone else might find such a title!); and Naomi Sakr would find herself rechristened 'Nadwi'.

These are minor faults, however, when set against the volume's strengths. In fact, the

present edition has improved even aesthetically, if this reviewer's copy was anything to

go by: the publishers appear to have opted for a slightly bolder type, making the large pages crammed full of text somewhat easier on the eye.

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS GERD NONNEMAN & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

UMWELTPROBLEME IM VORDEREN ORIENT: EINE AUSWAHL- BIBLIOGRAPHIE = ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. By GERDA HANSEN. (Dokumentationsdienst Vorderer Orient, Reihe A, 21.) Hamburg, Deutsches Ubersee-Institut, Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient, 1993. ix, 62pp. DM 13.-

DER GOLFKRIEG (1990/91): EINE AUSWAHLBIBLIOGRAPHIE = THE GULF WAR (1990/91): A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. By INGEBORG OTTO, MARIANNE SCHMIDT-DUMONT, with an introduction by HANS KRECH. (Dokumentationsdienst Vorderer Orient, Reihe A, 20.) Hamburg, Deutsches Ubersee-Institut, Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient, 1992. xviii, 314pp. DM38.-

The Deutsches Orient-Institut (now the Deutsches Ubersee-Institut) was founded in 1960, and since the mid-sixties, its subordinate body, the Dokumentations-Leitstelle Vorderer Orient (now the Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient) has been

producing bibliographies, of which the two items under review constitute nos. 20 and 21 of Series A.

Most of the bibliographies (which have covered a very wide range of modern Middle Eastern subjects) are constructed after the same model, although with some important variants. The basic house style is a list of books, articles, documents and chapters in books arranged in alphabetical unit-entry format under broad headings. (Where an item covers two or more headings, the unit-entry is repeated under the second heading.) The

entry itself always follows the same pattern: full bibliographical information, language of item (and abstract if present), and keywords in German outlining the concepts dealt with, e.g. no. 168 of Umweltprobleme, an article on 'Dynamics of range plants and desertification monitoring in the Sudan'; the article is filed under the heading Sudan and its subject matter described by the keywords Sudan + Desertifikation + Viehwirtschaft + Weidewirtschaft. These keywords are picked up by a Sachregister (Index of Topics), so that a thematic as well as a geographical approach is possible. Many entries are

it would seem time to make the section on the 'Israeli-Occupied Territories' into something more than an appendage to the chapter on Israel. In the table of contents it should stand out as much as Spanish North Africa, with Ceuta and Melilla (which are given bold print). The section is good and up-to-date, however, including a list of the members of the Palestine National Authority.

As in previous editions, the speed with which this volume comes to press (not much more than a month between completion and publication) has come at the cost of oversights in editing here and there, such as in some of the bibliographical items. To take the bibliography on Yemen as an example, on p.979 Shaykh Sultan bin Saqr al- Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah, would be surprised to find that he had written a book on The Myth of Arab Policy in the Gulf (however useful someone else might find such a title!); and Naomi Sakr would find herself rechristened 'Nadwi'.

These are minor faults, however, when set against the volume's strengths. In fact, the

present edition has improved even aesthetically, if this reviewer's copy was anything to

go by: the publishers appear to have opted for a slightly bolder type, making the large pages crammed full of text somewhat easier on the eye.

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS GERD NONNEMAN & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

UMWELTPROBLEME IM VORDEREN ORIENT: EINE AUSWAHL- BIBLIOGRAPHIE = ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST: A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. By GERDA HANSEN. (Dokumentationsdienst Vorderer Orient, Reihe A, 21.) Hamburg, Deutsches Ubersee-Institut, Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient, 1993. ix, 62pp. DM 13.-

DER GOLFKRIEG (1990/91): EINE AUSWAHLBIBLIOGRAPHIE = THE GULF WAR (1990/91): A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY. By INGEBORG OTTO, MARIANNE SCHMIDT-DUMONT, with an introduction by HANS KRECH. (Dokumentationsdienst Vorderer Orient, Reihe A, 20.) Hamburg, Deutsches Ubersee-Institut, Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient, 1992. xviii, 314pp. DM38.-

The Deutsches Orient-Institut (now the Deutsches Ubersee-Institut) was founded in 1960, and since the mid-sixties, its subordinate body, the Dokumentations-Leitstelle Vorderer Orient (now the Ubersee-Dokumentation, Referat Vorderer Orient) has been

producing bibliographies, of which the two items under review constitute nos. 20 and 21 of Series A.

Most of the bibliographies (which have covered a very wide range of modern Middle Eastern subjects) are constructed after the same model, although with some important variants. The basic house style is a list of books, articles, documents and chapters in books arranged in alphabetical unit-entry format under broad headings. (Where an item covers two or more headings, the unit-entry is repeated under the second heading.) The

entry itself always follows the same pattern: full bibliographical information, language of item (and abstract if present), and keywords in German outlining the concepts dealt with, e.g. no. 168 of Umweltprobleme, an article on 'Dynamics of range plants and desertification monitoring in the Sudan'; the article is filed under the heading Sudan and its subject matter described by the keywords Sudan + Desertifikation + Viehwirtschaft + Weidewirtschaft. These keywords are picked up by a Sachregister (Index of Topics), so that a thematic as well as a geographical approach is possible. Many entries are

230 230

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