Among the forces shaping today's international landscape, those of cultural differences and conflicts are perhaps the most prominent. Charles Issawi's latest collection of essays has been written in the belief that a study of the past encounters and conflicts between the world's major cultures can shed light on their nature and importance. Ranging in scope from the great ancient civilizations to Shelley's passion for the Middle East, from the economics of the Ottoman empire to the pre-eminence of English as an international language, this wonderful collection reflects the many interests of its author, though its main emphasis is on the Middle East, whose cultural conflict with the West cannot fail to be of special concern to us today.