Squeezed between Mount Lebanon and the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, the territory has been visited and described since ancient times. Here is an anthology of reflections for general readers and scholars, but most especially for people thinking of visiting the country. Among the excerpts are the Journey of Wenamon to Phoenicia about 1100 BC, Josephus: Antiquities of the Jews about 65 AD, Ibn al-Qalanisi: The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades about 1150 AD, Ibn Battuta: Travels about 1235, Sir Jon Mandeville: Voyage about 1360, Mark Twain: Innocents Abroad 1869, and James Frazer: The Golden Bought 1909. Modern times are covered in sections on religious, political, and literary identity; and wars from the 19th century through the Six-Day War and the 1975-90 Civil War to the recent 2006 attack by Israel. There is no index. Distributed in the US by Dufour. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)