This is the first comprehensive history and economic analysis of the Fertile Crescent during the 19th century, a region currently encompassing Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and a small part of Turkey. Presenting 155 carefully selected documents—the majority drawn from British and French archives and here published for the first time, the balance translated from Arabic, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, and Turkish sources—Issawi provides an in-depth treatment of the economic life of the region, with chapters on social life and organization, trade, transport, agriculture, industry, and public and private finance. Including extensive cross-references that pinpoint the connections between the subjects discussed, the book is an invaluable resource on a historically rich and dynamic region.