A History of Afghanistan, Volumes 1 and 2 (1940. 2005)

First published in 2007. This title combines two volumes of work; fifty-eight chapters dissecting the history of Afghanistan with sketch maps and illustrations throughout. Sykes argues that few countries present problems of greater interest to the historian than landlocked Afghanistan, the counterpart in Asia of Switzerland in Europe. Their studies cover the prehistory in the Near East, going through the history of each dynasty up to the early 1900s. A key text for historians, students and those interested in the complex history of the country. "The first complete [work of the] history of Afghanistan which, because of its geographical location and strategic position, has always been at the heart of power struggles in Asia. Lying between Central Asia, Iran and Pakistan, and bounded by immense mountain ranges and vast tracts of sandy desert, it has been the object of conquest since at least the sixteenth century B.C., by leaders who through the ages have included Alexander the Great and Baber, founder of the Moghul Empire."