'A witty, thoroughly informed and agreeably detached account of a subject both serious and extremely interesting ! John Keay's sweeping, breathless but always entertaining and acute study of the West's various interventions in the region is going to be a great help, and it quietly justifies its title by quietly suggesting that the net result of these interventions in the course of the 20th Century was less than productive' -- Spectator, Peter Hensher 

'Using a wealth of finely selected memoirs and anecdotes, to a remarkable degree John Keay pulls off the impossible. While always alert to the seriousness of his subject matter, he nonetheless manages to evoke countless individuals, some well known (T E Lawrence, General Allenby), some only half-remembered (Gertrude Bell, Glubb Pasha), and some the preserve of specialists (A T Wilson, Loy Henderson). Albert Einstein and E M Forster are among many who put in guest appearances. Keay repeatedly joining up yesterday's dots with missing sand lines' -- Sunday Times 20030622

'John Keay's new history of the British in the modern Middle East is the best for almost 40 years' -- Guardian 20030621 'Keay's book is exemplary in its commitment to telling the story of Western -- during this period, primarily British -- intervention in the Middle East' -- John McTernan, Scotland on Sunday 20030608 'An impressive account ! an excellent synthesis of the vast body of work on how the west planted the seeds of the Middle East's conflicts. Keay excels at explaining the broader political context of events' -- New Statesman 20030608 'John Keay has created a brilliant narrative that mixes sound historical judgement with an ability to see through self-serving cant and has assembled an extraordinary cast of characters' -- Glasgow Sunday Herald 20030608 'Grand in scope and notable in achievement ! with erudition and wit, Keay provides as impartial an introduction to the complex Arab-Israeli relationship as possible' -- LA Times 20031001 'Offers an insight both enthralling and scholarly' -- Traveller Magazine 20030701

John Stanley Melville Keay FRGS (1941-) is a British historian, journalist, radio presenter and lecturer specialising in popular histories of India, the Far East and China, often with a particular focus on their colonisation and exploration by Europeans. In particular, he is widely seen as a pre-eminent historian of British India. He is known both for stylistic flair and meticulous research into archival primary sources, including centuries-old unpublished sources.