This collection brings together Emrys Peters' major writings on the Bedouin of Libya.

The term ‘Bedouins’ was given to nomads who came from or lived in the desert, and consisted of a sedentary population (from the badia – desert). However, in time, it came to define their social economic essence as: people who raised grazing animals and were compelled to conduct a nomadic life, to live in tents that could be dismantled, carried, and re-erected easily, and to move with their livelihood and living accommodation, according to the environmental conditions — those which provided water and grass. Not all Bedouin tribes are of Arabic origin, as all Muslim nomadic groups in the area adopted the term "Bedouins." There are Bedouin tribes of Turkmen, Kurdish Baluch, and Berberic origin and there are "Arabized" African people and hybrid people, who are categorized as Bedouins. The Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins contains a chronology, an introduction, an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 300 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Bedouins.

Of all the countries in North Africa and the Middle East, less has been known about Libya for decades. Only recently have we begun to appreciate the complexity of Libya’s turbulent past, including the revolution in 2011 in which demands for better living conditions and more job opportunities led to widespread protests. When the Muammar al-Qaddafi regime responded with force to these peaceful protests, killing scores of unarmed civilians, the protesters called for regime change. In what came to be known as the February 17 Revolution, the 42-year-old Qaddafi regime was overthrown, and Qaddafi was killed in October 2011. Over the next decade, Libya endured a series of interim, transitional governments in a prolonged struggle to draft a new constitution and to elect a democratic national government. Historical Dictionary of Libya, Sixth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Libya.