The George Camp Keiser Library was founded in 1946 to further the Middle East Institute’s mission of promoting understanding of the Middle East. It has one of the D.C. area’s largest collections for the study of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, with more than 20,000 volumes and hundreds of periodicals and reference materials.

Full members of MEI are free to check books out of the library; associate members may use the library on site but cannot check out books. The library keeps evening hours whenever language classes are in session.

The library’s holdings include a vast array of subjects in many areas: politics, history, economics, religion, military and security affairs, sociology, law, the fine arts. While all of these areas provide a broader context for the study of Middle Eastern languages, MEI language students may be interested particularly in language instruction books and/or bilingual literature that offers opportunities to practice translation. Thus, we have compiled the following list of specific books that may be of especial interest to our language students.

All of these books can be found in the library’s language/literature section, which is located on the top floor (left-hand side).

This list contains only a brief sample of our literature holdings, which include fiction, poetry, and drama and embrace both emerging and well-established writers from nearly every country in the region. We encourage you to take a moment to browse the shelves, or search our computerized catalog to look for specific works, authors or genres.

The Editors
Library Research Guide Series
ARABIC LANGUAGE RESOURCES

Language Instruction, Readers and Dictionaries

Advanced Arabic Composition Based on Literary Texts and Audio-visual Materials PJ 6311 R3

Advanced Standard Arabic PJ 6311 R35 1994

Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds PJ 6123 B78 1995

Arabic Grammar of the Written Language PJ 6307 T5

Arabic in a Nutshell PJ 6779 B4

Arabic Military Dictionary U 25 A73 REF

Arabic Reader PJ 6119 R3

An Arabic Reader PJ 6119 Y4 1963

An Arabic Reader for Beginners PJ 6119 A73

Basic Arabic [from Aramco] PJ 6853 A7

A Basic Course in Moroccan Arabic PJ 6765 H3

Colloquial Arabic of the Gulf and Saudi Arabia PJ 6853 H64 1984

Comparative Vocabulary of Southern Arabic: Mahri, Gibbali and Soqotri PJ 7054 N36 1986

A Comprehensive Study of Egyptian Arabic PJ 6779 A23

A Dictionary of Moroccan Arabic PJ 6766 D53 2004 REF

A Dictionary of Syrian Arabic PJ 6816 D53 2004 REF

Elementary Arabic PJ 6311 N53 1946

Elementary Modern Standard Arabic PJ 6111 E4

The Essentials of Arabic: A Manual for Teaching Classical and Colloquial Arabic PJ 6111 F8

Everyday Arabic: Conversations in Syrian and Palestinian Colloquial Arabic PJ 6815 N34 1940

Formal Spoken Arabic: Basic Course PJ 6713 R93 1990

Formal Spoken Arabic: Fast Course PJ 6713 R935 2004

A Grammar of the Arabic Language PJ 6305 C5 1896

An Introduction to Egyptian Arabic PJ 6779 A14 1981

An Introduction to Koranic and Classical Arabic PJ 6307 T45 1994

An Introduction to Modern Literary Arabic PJ 6307 C6

Legal and Documentary Arabic Reader PJ 6111 M36 1965
Diplomatic and legal vocabulary and selections from government documents and treaties

Levantine Arabic for Non-Natives [teacher’s manual] PJ 6818 H872 1993

Modern Literary Arabic PJ 6307 B55

Modern Standard Arabic: Intermediate Level PJ 6307 M6

A New Arabic Grammar of the Written Language PJ 6307 H3 1965

Nigerian Arabic-English Dictionary PJ 6901 N53 K39 1986

Our Beautiful Language: Lessons in Arabic Conversation PJ 6115 B3

Practical Dictionary of the Colloquial Arabic of the Middle East PJ 6640 E6 REF

Saudi Arabic, Urban Hijazi dialect PJ 6850 H6 O4

A Short Reference Grammar of Iraqi Arabic PJ 6823 E7 2004

Spoken Arabic of Baghdad PJ 6830 B3 M3

Spoken Arabic of Iraq PJ 6823 V29

A Textbook for Arabic PJ 6307 B78 1997

A Textbook for Beginning Arabic PJ 6307 B78 1995

Written Arabic: An Approach to the Basic Structures PJ 6307 B4
With supplement: Arabic Historical Phraseology

Arabic Literature (With English Translation)

As the Arabs Say: Arabic Quotations Recalled and Interpreted PN 6519 A7 S18 1983

The Blessed Movement: An Egyptian Micronovel [Saad Elkhadem] PJ 7842 H26 H3713 1997

Canadian Adventures of the Flying Egyptian [Saad Elkhadem] PS 8559 L536 C36

Egyptian Folk Songs M 1838 E3 R4

An Egyptian Satire about a Condemned Building [Saad Elkhadem] PS 8559 L535 E49 1996

A Leader of Men [Yusuf Idris] PJ 7838 D7 A28 1988

Old Arabic Sayings, Similes and Metaphors PN 6519 A7 O53 1991

One Night in Cairo [Saad Elkhadem] PS 8559 L535 O53 2001

The Plague [Saad Elkhadem] PS 8559 L535 P53 1989

Readings in Modern Arabic Literature PJ 6311 B72
Text in Arabic; vocabulary and notes in English

Three Egyptian Short Stories [Yusuf Idris] PJ 7838 D7 T47

Two Avant-Garde Egyptian Novels [Saad Elkhadem] PS 8559 L535 T86 1998

Wings of Lead: A Modern Egyptian Novella [Saad Elkhadem] PJ 7842 H26 A713 1994

Arabic Poetry (With English Translation)

An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry PJ 7695 E3 K48

Arabian Love Poems PJ 7858 A2 A24 1993

Arabic Poetry: A Primer for Students PJ 7692 E3 A7

From the Vineyards of Lebanon: Poems by Khalil Hawi and Nadeem Naimy PJ 7832 A778 F77 1991

A Handful of Earth: Selected Poems [Mariam Qasem El-Saad] PJ 7862 A2857 H26 1993

In Forbidden Time: Love Poems [Henri Zoghaib] PJ 7876 O35 A24 1991

The Life of Gibran: Khalil Gibran and His “Procession” PJ 7741 G54 P7

A Lover from Palestine, and Other Poems: An Anthology of Palestinian Poetry PJ 7694 E3 E4

Lyrics from Arabia PJ 8000 Q2813 1983

The Palestinian Wedding: A Bilingual Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian
Resistance Poetry PJ 8190 P3 P3 1982

The Poetical Works of Beha-ed-Din Zoheir of Egypt PJ 7694 E3 Z84
English translation in 2nd volume

Studies in Islamic Poetry PJ 827 N5 1969
See section on “Meditations of Ma’arri”

Victims of a Map: A Bilingual Anthology of Arabic Poetry [Samih al-Qasim, Adonis and
Mahmud Darwish] PJ 7820 A7 D37 1984

The Wind-Driven Reed, and Other Poems [Fouzi El-Asmar] PJ 7814 S63 A24
HEBREW LANGUAGE RESOURCES

Language Instruction, Readers and Dictionaries

Contemporary Hebrew PJ 4567 M24

An Introductory Hebrew Grammar PJ 4567 D37 1966

Lessons in Modern Hebrew, Level I PJ 4567 C644

Lessons in Modern Hebrew, Level II PJ 4567 C645

The Story of the Aleph Beth PJ 4589 D5

Hebrew Poetry (with English translation)

Modern Hebrew Poetry: A Bilingual Anthology PJ 5059 E3 M53

PERSIAN LANGUAGE RESOURCES

Language Instruction, Readers and Dictionaries

Colloquial Persian PK 6235 E1

A Grammar of Contemporary Persian PK 6233 L3913 1992

An Introduction to Persian PK 6235 T47 1993

Modern Persian, Elementary Level PK 6235 W5 1981

Modern Persian, Intermediate Level PK 6235 W76 1982

Modern Persian Reader PK 6236 M5

Modern Persian Reader PK 6236 A72 1944

A Reference Grammar of Modern Persian PK 6235 J39 1961

Tabrizi Vocabulary: An Azeri-Turkish Dialect in Iran PL 314 Z9 T3
English, Persian and Azeri-Turkish vocabulary

Persian Literature (With English Translation)

Amoo No-Rooz [Nawruz] PZ 90 P4 A46

The Ball and Polo Stick, or, The Book of Ecstasy [‘Arifi of Herat] PK 6451 A69 H3513 1999

Book of Travels (Safarnama) [Nasir-i Khusraw] DS 46 N313

Divani Nurbakhsh: Sufi Poetry PK 6561 N79 A17

Edges of Poetry: Selected Poems of Esmail Khoi PK 6561 K53 E35 1995

The Eye of an Ant: Persian Proverbs and Poems PN 6519 P5 A43 1995

The Hafez Poems of Gertrude Bell PK 6465 Z32 B4 1995

Heart’s Witness: The Sufi Quatrains of Awhaduddin Kirmani PK 6451 A83 A17 1978

The Little Black Fish PZ 7 B4895 Li

A Millennium of Classical Persian Poetry PK 6416 T45 1994
Persian text with English vocabulary and notes

The Mirror of Meanings [Sufi poetry] PK 6485 A43 M5513 2002

Odes of Hafiz: Poetical Horoscope PK 6465 Z31 A75 1984

Suppressed Persian: An Anthology of Forbidden Literature PK 6449 E5 S87

The Texts of Letters Exchanged Between the Presidents of the Islamic Republic
of Iran and the Republic of Iraq, 1990 DS 70.96 I72 T49 1995

The Tragedy of Sohrab and Rostam [from Firdawsi’s Shahnamah] PK 6456 A12 R822 1996

The Truths of Love: Sufi Poetry PK 6561 N79 T7 1982

TURKISH LANGUAGE RESOURCES

Language Instruction, Readers and Dictionaries

Advanced Turkish Reader PL 127.5 U5 T5

Colloquial Turkish PL 123 M3

First Lessons in Modern Turkish PL 123 K7

The Literature of the Turks PL 125 W5

A Modern Turkish Reader PL 125 C7

A Reference Grammar of Modern Turkish PL 111 S9 1962

Teach Yourself Turkish PL 123 L4

Turkish PL 125 W6 1956

Turkish for Foreigners PL 123 S4

Turkish Literary Reader PL 125 T5

We also have several books on ancient Egyptian language and literature [PJ 1175 – PJ 1949], as well as other languages in the region (e.g., Sari, Amharic, Tamazight).
LITERARY ANTHOLOGIES AND COLLECTIONS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA AND CENTRAL ASIA (In English)

Anthology of Islamic Literature, from the Rise of Islam to Modern Times PJ 7694 E1 K7

Anthology of Modern Palestinian Literature PJ 8190.55 E5 A58 1992

Anthology of Modern Persian Poetry PK 6449 E5 A5

Anthology of Modern Sudanese Poetry PR 9408 S732 A6 1982

Anthology of Modern Turkish Short Stories PL 271 E8 A67 1978

Arabic and Persian Poems PJ 7694 E3 A7 1986

Arabic Short Stories PJ 7694 E8 A73 1983

Arabic Short Stories, 1945-1965 PJ 7695 E1 M3

Arabic Writing Today: Drama PJ 7694 E5 A7 1977

The Art of the Turkish Tale PL 246 W35

Assassination of Light: Modern Saudi Short Stories PJ 8005.82 E5 A87 1990

Blood into Ink: South Asian and Middle Eastern Women Write War PN 6071 W35 B58 1994

The Book of Strangers: Mediaeval Arabic Graffiti on the Theme of Nostalgia PJ 7653 A3313 2000

Contemporary Turkish Literature PL 232 C6 1982

Egyptian One-Act Plays PJ 7695 E5 E9 1981

Egyptian One-Act Plays PJ 7695 E5 M313

Egyptian Tales and Short Stories of the 1970s and 1980s PJ 7694 E8 E39 1987

Fairy Tales from Turkey PZ 8 T297

Flights of Fantasy: Arabic Short Stories PJ 7694 E8 F55

Folk Tales of Ancient Persia PZ 8.1 H375 Fo

The Garden of Joys: An Anthology of Oriental Anecdotes, Fables and Proverbs PN 6261 C3

The Golden Odes of Love: al-Mu’allaqat PJ 7642 A36 1997

Hispano-Arabic Poetry, and Its Relations with the Old Provencal Troubadours PJ 7755 N8

Images from the Arab World [fragments of Arab literature] PJ 7796 E1 H6

Iranian Drama: An Anthology PK 6449 E6 I7 1989

Islamic Literature: An Introductory History with Selections PJ 807 N3

Keys to the Garden: New Israeli Writing PJ 5059 E1 K48 1996

The Literature of Modern Arabia: An Anthology PJ 7694 E1 L5

Modern Arabic Drama: An Anthology PJ 7694 E5 M63 1995

Modern Arabic Short Stories PJ 7694 E8 J6 1967

Modern Egyptian Drama: An Anthology PJ 7694 E5 A2

Modern Hebrew Poetry PJ 5059 E3 M6

Modern Persian Short Stories PK 6449 E7 M6 1980

Modern Syrian Short Stories PJ 7695 E8 M6 1988

Modern Turkish Drama PL 237 M6

Music of a Distant Drum: Classical Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew Poems PJ 418 M87 2001

My Grandmother’s Cactus: Stories by Egyptian Women PJ 7694 E8 B3 1991

Ottoman Literature PL 271 E3 G5

Ottoman Lyric Poetry PL 235 O87 1997

Shimmering Light: An Anthology of Ismaili Poetry PJ 918 S53 1996

Sixteen Sudanese Short Stories PJ 8313 S62

A Short Anthology of Sudanese Literature PJ 8313 S5

The Tale of the Old Fisherman: Contemporary Urdu Short Stories PK 2190 T27 1991

Turkish Literature PL 271 E1 W5

Unwinding Threads: Writing by Women in Africa PR 9348 U58 1983

When the Words Burn: An Anthology of Modern Arabic Poetry, 1945-1987 PJ 7694 E3 W44 1988