Hanna Geshelin

Originally published in 1939, this book by a Christian American agronomist who visited the Holy Land describes how the land had been denuded by the Ottoman Turks, who ruled the land from the 1550's until the end of World War I (1918), and how the Jewish settlers were reclaiming the land. Easy to read and fascinating account of the only place in the world where deserts were receding and being replaced by productive land. Published while Great Britain ruled the land, it is completely outside the present Arab-Israeli conflict and thus is a "must read" for anyone interested in the history of the land.