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Barcelona by Robert Hughes - it's supposed to be mainly about architecture (and I know jack about architecture), but it gives a very broad foundation of Catalan history and culture. Just a fascinating read about a fascinating region.
Lionel Casson's Travel in the Ancient World - oddly engaging writeup on a somewhat niche subject (happened to see it in a bookstore, figured what the hell).
I am also half way through How the Bible Became a Book by William Schniedewind, and there's just no escaping the fact that the topic is far more interesting than this particular book.
If anyone can recommend substitutions on the subject (ie early Semitic literature, and textualization of oral tradition in general) I'd greately appreciate it. Oh, but not Friedman, Finkelstein, or the other DocHyp flunkies, that's not exactly the direction I had in mind.
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