Suggested Books

Below is a list of useful books on the Arabic language and the Arab cultures. The list is not comprehensive, and there is no affiliation with the publishers or authors of these books. The Head of the Arabic Studies Program is listing them based on his experience and in response to students' request. Work on this page is still in progresss (expected to finish by the end of the Fall 2012 semester).

Culture
	Understanding Arabs: A Contemporary Guide to Arab Society ISBN: 9780983955801 With the Arab Spring causing ripple effects throughout the world, a solid understanding of Arab history, culture, and practices has never been more important. For over twenty years, top diplomats, scholars, and business people have relied on Dr. Margaret Nydell's seminal work Understanding Arabs as the essential guide to comprehending an immensely varied culture. Covering all aspects of Arab life - from religion and society to social norms and communication styles - this all-encompassing guide reveals what the often misunderstood culture is really like.
Grammar
Dictionaries
	The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic ISBN: 9780879500030 This edition of the Dictionary ... is an enlarged and improved version of the original corpus. During the past two decades, the Dictionary has achieved widespread acceptance and use. In the interim, modern written Arabic has continued to exhibit vigorous lexical growth. Therefore, feeling the need to fill in many gaps and update the corpus, the author again undertook systematic collection of material. In addition to many neologisms of recent origin, the author has incorporated much older material attested in present-day contexts, which had not yet appeared in the Dictionary, as well as numerous improvements and corrections.