| These books on Middle Eastern dance, music, and culture are available through Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I have not read all of these, so if I don't link to a review for the book, I encourage you to carefully read the reviews on Amazon to help you evaluate whether it is right for you. |
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In the tables below:
Regardless of where you are, you can order from any of the three sites. So, if you're in the U.S. and the book you want is available only through the U.K. site, you can still order it to be shipped from there. And so on. |
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These books provide information about the history of Middle Eastern dance.
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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A Trade Like Any Other | Karin van Nieuwkerk |
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Difficult to read because of academic writing style, but superb content if you can force yourself to wade through the academic jargon. |
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Looking For Little Egypt | Donna Carlton |
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Excellent research, with careful attention to accuracy and detail. Easy and fun to read. A real winner! |
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Hardcover: Paperback: |
Great Spirits: Portraits of Life-Changing Artists | Randall Grass | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon. |  Added August 6,
2009. Includes a chapter on Nadia Gamal. |
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Sacred Woman, Sacred Dance |
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Historical and modern-day view of women's dance as spiritual expression. |
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Ancient Egyptian Dances | Irena Lexova |
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Detailed research based on analysis of ancient art and texts. |
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Serpent Of The Nile |
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Lavishly illustrated. A feast for the eyes. Historical information is poorly researched and reported. |
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The Belly Dance Book |
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Anthology of articles by 17 different writers, including Shira. |
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The Tribal Bible | Kajira Djoumahna |
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Detailed coverage of the U.S. Tribal belly dance world: history, costuming, more. |
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Belly Dance: The Dance of Mother Earth | Tina Hobin | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. |
 To order a book from
Amazon, click on the location (U.S.A. or U.K.) that is more convenient
for you. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Guests Of The Sheik: An Ethnography Of An Iraqi Village | Elizabeth Warnock Fernea |
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Fascinating account of the time the author spent living in an Iraqi village. |
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The Middle East: A Brief History Of The Last 2,000 Years | Bernard Lewis | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Covers the history of the Middle East from the dawn of Christianity to modern times. |
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Harem: The World Behind The Veil | Alev Lytle Croutier | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Explores life in the world's harems, from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. |
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Middle Eastern Muslim Women Speak | Elizabeth W. Fernea | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Anthology giving insights into what women in Muslim countries really think. |
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Dreams Of Trespass: Tales Of A Harem Girlhood | Fatima Mernissi |
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Modern-day Moroccan feminist recalls her life growing up in a harem. |
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Layla And Majnun | Ganjavi Nizami | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Famous 12th-century Persian romance widely recognized as a classic of world literature. |
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Beyond the Veil: Male - Female Dynamics in a Modern Muslim Society | Fatima Mernissi | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Philosophical discussions on the roles of women, men, and the heterosexual relationship in Moroccan Islamic society. |
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The Forgotten Queens Of Islam | Fatima Mernissi | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | An analysis of female power within Islam. |
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The Veil and the Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation of Women's Rights in Islam | Fatima Mernissi | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Examines whether Islam is opposed to women's rights by focusing on the early years of Islam |
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Unveiled | Cherry Mosteshar |
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Autobiographical account of a not-too-bright young woman's life in post-revolutionary Iran. |
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Princess: A True Story Of Life Behind The Veil In Saudi Arabia | Jean P. Sasson |
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Autobiography of a woman in the Saudi royal family and the numerous human rights abuses toward women |
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Not Without My Daughter | Betty Mahmoody | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Recounts an American woman's struggle to retrieve her daughter after her ex-husband ran off to Iran with her. |
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The Rom: Walking In The Paths Of The Gypsies | Roger Moreau |
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Recounts the author's efforts to research the history of the Rroma and fill in the gaps that historians have not yet covered. |
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Bury Me Standing: The Gypsies And Their Journey | Isabel Fonseca |
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Portrait of the Rroma (Gypsies) of Eastern Europe through interviews. Traces their history. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Grandmother's Secrets: The Ancient Rituals and Healing Power of Belly Dancing (In the U.K., this book is known by the title Belly Dancing: The Art of Becoming a Woman and has a different cover from the U.S. version.) |
Rosina Fawzia B. Al-Rawi |
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Memoirs of an Arab grandmother. Also ideas on how to use Oriental dance moves for spiritual expression and insight. |
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Zaïda: Belly Dancing for Older Women | Phoebe Kathrine Carter |
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The contents of her web site presented in book form. |
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Nefertiti Presents: Belly Dance - "The Basics" | Sherry Jeffries |
Read Shira's Review |
Uses photos and text to teach beginning belly dance moves. |
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Intermediate Belly Dancing | Vicki Corona |
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Describes how to do about 18 intermediate moves. Offers a few finger cymbal rhythms. |
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Belly Dancing For Health And Relaxation | Tina Hobin |
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Attempts to use photos and text to teach belly dance. |
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Costuming From The Hip | Dawn Devine Brown |
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How to make a belly dancing costume. Both basics for beginners and creative variations for experience dancers. |
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From Turban To Toe Ring | Dawn Devine Brown |
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Belly dance costuming for dancers who embrace the American Tribal Style. |
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Bedlah, Baubles, and Beads | Dawn Devine Brown | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com | How to make a beaded & sequinned bra/belt set. |
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Embellished Bras: Basic Techniques | Dawn Devine Brown |
Read Shira's Review |
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Style File | Dawn Devine Brown |
Read Shira's Review |
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Sewing for Plus Sizes | Barbara Deckert |
Read Shira's Review |
Alter costume patterns for yourself or fellow dancers. |
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Fun with Beads: Ancient Egypt | Janet Coles | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com | Supplies and directions to make beaded jewelry in the style of ancient Egypt. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Have Belly Will Travel | Tanya Lemani | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Added
December 9. A belly dancer who appeared in a number of movies
and television shows in the 1960's tells about her career. |
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They Told Me I Couldn't; A Young Woman's Multicultural Adventures in Colombia | Tamalyn Dallal |
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Travelogue describing a young American woman's experiences in Colombia. |
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Snake Hips | Anne Thomas Soffee |
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Added
December 9, 2007. Light hearted look at what it was like for
one woman to be a belly dancing student. |
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Belly Laughs: Adventures With Celebrities & Other Unusual Characters | Rod Long |
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Stories about entertaining things that occured doing belly dance performances. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
| (Cover photo not available) |
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Pyramid | David Macauley | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | |
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The Woman's Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets | Barbara G. Walker | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Profiles of ancient goddesses. Describes the religions of pre-Islamic Arabia and pre-Christian Europe. |
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The Woman's Dictionary of Symbols And Sacred Objects | Barbara G. Walker |
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List of symbols and their ancient historical significance. |
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Inanna: Queen Of Heaven And Earth | Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Noah Kramer |
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Translation of ancient Sumerian writings featuring the goddess Inanna |
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King And Goddess | Judith Tarr |
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Historical fiction based on the life of Hatshepsut, the Egyptian queen who dared name herself Pharaoh. |
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What People Wore | Douglas Gorsline |
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Over 1,800 illustrations showing garb from ancient times to the present. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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The Kadin | Bertrice Small |
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Central character is a Scottish girl who became one of the wives of an Ottoman sultan. |
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Love Wild And Fair | Bertrice Small |
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Sequel to The Kadin. The plot passes briefly through 16th-century Ottoman Turkey. |
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Skye O'Malley | Bertrice Small |
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Historical romance novel based in 16th-century Ireland, England, and Algeria. |
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All The Sweet Tomorrows | Bertrice Small |
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Sequel to Skye O'Malley. Set in England, Riviera, Algeria, Morocco, and France. |
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A Love For All Time | Bertrice Small |
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Sequel to All The Sweet Tomorrows. Set in 16th-century England and Turkey. |
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Lost Love Found | Bertrice Small |
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Sequel to A Love For All Time. Set in England and Turkey in the early 17th century. |
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A Memory Of Love | Bertrice Small |
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Historical romance novel based in 13th-century England, Wales, and Tunisia. |
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The Fourth Queen | Debbie Taylor | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on amazon.com. | |
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Inside the Seraglio: Private Lives of the Sultans in Istanbul | John Freely | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on amazon.com. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Bella Wishes | Tessa May |
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Target audience is girls ages 4 through 8. |
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Dance Crazy: Star Turns From Ballet To Belly Dancing |
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Target audience is ages 9 through 12. About dance in general. |
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Barbie: The Pyramid Adventure | Rita Balducci |
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Barbie dreams of being an Egyptian princess. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Forever And A Baby | Margot Early |
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Central character is a midwife whose extended family has many ties to the Middle East. |
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Baby Love | Louisa Young |
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Former belly dancer fights back against various men who are all out to complicate her life in one way or another. |
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Desiring Cairo | Louisa Young |
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Sequel to Baby Love. Picks up where Baby Love left off, and tells you what happened next. |
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Tree Of Pearls | Louisa Young |
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The 3rd book in the series begun with Baby Love. |
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Valide: A Novel Of The Harem | Barbara Chase Riboud |
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Based on the life of a Creole girl who was enslaved in the Topkapi harem in the late 18th century. |
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Longarm And The Nevada Belly Dancer | Tabor Evans |
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Lawman in the Old West tries to find a belly dancer who appears to be connected to a robber. |
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Author / Editor |
Shira's Rating |
Shira's Comments |
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Middle Eastern Dance Video Sourcebook 2002 | Donna Carlton |
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Orientalism In Art | Christine Peltre | Not yet reviewed by Shira. See reviews on Amazon.com. | Overview of Orientalism, with many illustrations. |
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