Hoffner (emeritus Hittology, U. of Chicago) introduces non-specialists to the rich epistolary documentation of the ancient Hittite kingdom, located in what is now Turkey about 1600-1200 BC. First he explores letter writing as it was practiced in all the major kingdoms of the ancient Near East: Egypt, Syro-Palestine, Anatolia, Assyria, and Babylonia. Then he narrows his focus to the Hittite kingdom itself, describing how letters were written, sent, received, and stored. That background established, he delves into the corpus of letters. For each he provides the identification number, sender and intended receiver, where it was found, where copies and translations can be found today, and where more information can be read. Then he presents a transcription of the text, a translation of as much as is legible and decipherable, and commentary. The Society of Biblical Literature publishes the book and distributes the paperbound edition; Brill publishes the clothbound edition. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)