Reviews

"O'Connell & Dursteler's Mediterranean World is a judicious blend of narrative and thematic discussion. The themes and the period covered are well-chosen. The Middle Ages and early modernity fully show the ways in which Mediterranean history has combined political fragmentation with the blurring of cultural boundaries. This book provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the best of recent scholarship."

"A magisterial book. The breadth of the narrative, its ability to digest and make sensible a vast interdisciplinary literature, and its original structure will make this book the standard introduction to the history of the Mediterranean for years to come."

"Finally, a Mediterranean history that both students and faculty will savor. O’Connell and Dursteler’s ability to weave historiographical depth and engaging vignettes into a lucid chronological narrative makes this textbook an excellent introduction to a world region and a phase of our entangled global past that are still deeply misrepresented."

"A refreshing new examination of the Mediterranean world from the 'fall' of the Roman Empire to the Napoleonic adventure in Egypt and the Levant."

"... handy..."

"The Mediterranean World succeeds as an accessible, up-to-date synthesis of recent interpretations of the Mediterranean for students and general readers. Specialists will undoubtedly be familiar with many of its interpretive points, and the book focuses more on stressing the consistent permeability of Mediterranean borders and boundaries than it does on defending a single overarching thesis. But this stress on synthesizing recent trends, coupled with the book’s enviable readability, will make it an excellent classroom text for undergraduates or even beginning graduate students. It is a book that defies assumptions about a Mediterranean splintered by religion, politics and culture and instead presents a nuanced view of a geographical body where divisions coexisted with deep connections that often traversed differences."