good book on early palestine?

what's a good book (preferably textbook) on the history of the ancient near east?

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The Bible, if you mean the Middle East where Palestine/ancient Israel was.[This message has been edited by buzsaw, 03-12-2004]

oh is it the middle east? i've always been told near east. well, i've read the bible, i want information from, dare i say, a secular point o' view. you know, history of the surrounding peoples and all

I'd suggest Bernard Lewis's The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years, available for about ten books in paperback. It's a very well written book and it helped me in understanding the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.There is perhaps one caveat which should be mentioned: Lewis is not popular with Muslims because he pretty much blames them for their own problems.EDIT: In reading back over this I see it was the region's ancient history you were asking about. For that, I'd recommend Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible. Because the bible covers so much of the ancient history, Asimov's book is, by its nature, a factual, secular history covering the same period of time. It is much larger than the Lewis work but it is also much more accessible.[This message has been edited by berberry, 03-15-2004]

Title: The Bible unearthed : archaeology's new vision of ancient Israel and the origin of its sacred texts / Israel Finkelstein and Neil Asher Silberman.This is a very readable fascinating account of the recent discoveries in the areas of Palestine and the near east. It will not go over with those who wish the bible to be a completely accurate account of history, but for those interested in archeology it will be highly informative. I think this is definitely a book you will find important and well worth your time to read. It's not a textbook but it is written by fully credentialed academics working in the field and represents a significant viewpoint.lfen