Excellent Book
This is one of the finest shorter histories of the Jews I have read. As a Jew and as an Orthodox Jew I find that most histories leave something to be desired. Generally, they concentrate on persons or places but there is almost no feel or knowledge for that matter in regards to the Jewish religion. There is a Jewish religion. There are beliefs we have kept them for thousands of years. And Paul Johnson (not a Jew) has written a book that actually considers and appreciates that. What a wonderful thing. The book can either be a nice introduction to the subject or even a stand alone. It has that much information. I really recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject.