Near & Middle East

The term Near East was coined in the 19th century when Westerners divided the “Orient” into three parts: the Near East, the Middle East, and the Far East. The Near East included the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans; the Middle East ranged between the Persian Gulf and Southeast Asia; and the Far East encompassed Asian countries facing the Pacific Ocean. However, in the early 20th century (as Europe geared up for World War II), the term Middle East began to be used by the British military to refer to both regions and it soon became the dominant term. (Though for all intents and purposes, both Middle East and Near East refer to the same region when used today.)

Today, the Middle East is considered the region spanning from Morocco (Northern Africa) to the Arabian Peninsula and Iran (Western Asia). (The acronym MENA—Middle East and North Africa—may also be used.) While Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria seem like geographical outliers, their similar sentiment, religion, and policies have led them to be considered part of the region. Other countries, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan (in South Asia), are often lumped in with the Middle East because of current events, although they may not technically belong.

Both Near and Middle East are Eurocentric terms—it is Western English-speaking historians who named the region on the basis of its position relative to Europe. With recent trends to de-Westernize core education, the term Middle East seems a bit old-fashioned, but it's the best we have for now.

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Arabian Nights
Illustrated Junior Library Series 1
by Earle Goodenow, illustrator
from Grosset & Dunlap
Eastern Fairy Tales for 4th-8th grade
Arabian Nights
Calla Editions
by Rene Bull (Illustrator)
Reprint from Dover Publications
for 4th-9th grade
Beggar's King
by Howard C. Emmons
from Van Kampen Press
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Ben-Gurion and the Birth of Israel
World Landmark #62
by Joan Comay, illustrated with photographs
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Centurion
by Leonard Wibberley
from William Morrow & Company
for 7th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Cleopatra VII
Royal Diaries
by Kristiana Gregory
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Royal Diaries (Location: SER-ROYAL)
$4.80 (1 in stock)
Crusades: Flame of Islam
by Harold Lamb
from New Home Library
for 5th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Crusades: Iron Men & Saints
by Harold Lamb
from Garden City Books
for 5th-9th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
Crusades: Iron Men & Saints
by Harold Lamb
from International Collectors Library
for 5th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Mesopotamia
by Erica C. D. Hunter
3rd edition from Facts On File
World History Reference/Atlas for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Bible Lands
DK Eyewitness Series
by Jonathan Tubb
1st edition from DK Publishing
History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Bible Geography and Surveys (Location: XBI-GEO)
$7.20 (1 in stock)
Fall of Constantinople
World Landmark #30
by Bernadine Kielty, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
First 3000 Years
by Charles B. Falls
from Viking Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Flood of Noah
by Bodie Hodge, Laura Welch
from Master Books
for 5th-10th grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
$15.99
Foreigner
by Gladys Malvern, illustrated by Corinne Malvern
from Longmans, Green & Co.
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Genesis: Finding Our Roots
by Ruth Beechick
from Arrow Press
Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
Holy Land in the Time of Jesus
by Norman Kotker
from Horizon Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Israel
by Maida Silverman
First Edition from Dial Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Near & Middle East (Location: HISMC-NME)
Jesus of Nazareth
World Landmark #42
by Harry Emerson Fosdick, illustrated by Steele Savage
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Lawrence of Arabia
World Landmark #52
by Alistair MacLean, illustrated by Gil Walker
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Life of Saint Paul
World Landmark #53
by Harry Emerson Fosdick, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Marathon Looks on the Sea
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Erwin Schachner
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Masada will Not Fall Again
by Sophie Greenspan, illustrated by Unada
from Jewish Publication Society
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Master Books World History Encyclopedia Volume 1
by Nancy I. Sanders
from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in History Encyclopedias & Fact Books (Location: HISRF-ENC)
$33.99
Monuments to Glory
by Daniel M. Madden, illustrated by Lili Réthi
from Hawthorn Books, Inc.
for 6th-8th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Myself When Young
Travel and Adventure Library for Young Folks
by Youel B. Mirza, illustrated by Theodore Nadejen
1930s printing from Doubleday, Doran & Company Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
People in Palestine
by Olivia Coolidge
from Houghton Mifflin
for 5th-8th grade
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Suleiman the Magnificent
International Collectors Library
by Harold Lamb
from International Collectors Library
for 4th-8th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Teacher of Nomad Land
by Daniel Nayeri
from Levine Querido
for 4th-8th grade
2026 Newbery Honor Book
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$16.14
The Robe
by Lloyd C. Douglas, illustrated by Dean Cornwell
from Houghton Mifflin
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Unveiling the Kings of Israel
by David Down
from Master Books
for 7th-12th grade
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$27.99
Young People's Story of the Ancient World (No. 2)
by Virgil M. Hillyer & E. G. Huey
from Meredith Press
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$3.20 (1 in stock)