Lion of Jordan - Avi Shlaim

For most of his long reign (1953-1999) Hussein of Jordan was one of the dominant figures in Middle Eastern politics, its most continuous presence, and one of the most consistent proponents of peace with Israel. This is the first major account of his life and reign, written with access to many of his surviving papers, with the co-operation (but not approval) of his family and staff, and extensive interviews with policy-makers of many different nationalities.

King Hussein had an extraordinary career as both soldier and statesman. He is so far the only non-Christian monarch to be commemorated by a memorial service in St. Paul's Cathedral; in his address, the Prince of Wales called him 'a man amongst men, a king amongst kings'. This biography, by one of Israel's leading 'new historians', shows the qualities and character of this titanic individual for the first time in book form, and significantly rewrites the history of the Middle East over the past 50 years.