Malta, a "tiny pebble kicked by the 'boot' of Italy into the middle of the Mediterranean," has been visited and influenced over the centuries by many different peoples and cultures. The site of the oldest free-standing, man-made structures known to exist, Malta has been occupied by Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St. John, Swabians, Angevins, French, and British. Most recently, Malta has become the smallest (in both population and landmass) member country of the European Union.

This second edition of the Historical Dictionary of Malta compiles the unusually rich and long history of the islands comprising the country of Malta. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and hundreds of cross-reference dictionary entries describing all of the major places, persons, institutions, and events that have shaped the history of the archipelago.