The Center of the World

"This is an excellent, engagingly written overview of the political and commercial history of a crucial waterway mostly known for the vagaries of the oil that has flowed through it in modern times."--R. P. Matthee, University of Delaware, in Choice "Remarkably accessible, this book offers an authoritative history of the Gulf, boldly linking the region to the wider currents of global history."--Dale F. Eickelman, author of The Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological Approach "Simply compelling! Allen Fromherz does for the Gulf what Braudel did for the Mediterranean."--G. R. Garthwaite, Jane and Raphael Bernstein Professor in Asian Studies and Professor Emeritus of History at Dartmouth College "The best historical interpretation of the gulf geography . . . A must read for anyone with an interest in the Middle East, Persia, and economic history." --Ansgar Baums, Senior Fellow, Stimson Center