Jericho: Dreams, Ruins, Phantoms

Robert Ruby describes himself as a journalist, not as an historian. Indeed, as Foreign Editor for the Baltimore Sun, and on assignment to the Middle East for many years, Ruby has the modern perspective of the journalist. But do not be mislead, for this is a well researched and scholarly view without the dry, chronolgical recounting of facts and figures of perhaps the oldest settlement in the western hemisphere. His view is not tunneled through the microscope or telescope, but is instead, panoramic. To the left he sees uncovered tools from a PPNA (Pre Pottery Neolithic A) culture, in the middle, Joshua's improbable battle, and to the right an ugly crude fort being turned over to the Palestinian authority by Israel. He paints a rich and colored picture of a colorless and desolate land, and of the trials of intrepid 19th century explorers and cartographers sponsored by the PEF (Palestine Exploration Fund). His language is lyrical, even melancholy, but he endeavors to view and describe without prejudice, and wishful thinking - There are 35 pages that document his resources, but he clearly loves this land populated by "one people after another".Anyone with the least bit of interest in the Holy land, current affairs, Biblical tales, or the longevity of humanity, will find the book an enjoyable and informative read.