Despite the long-standing political and practical difficulties of doing research about Iraq, the
scholarly world has recently witnessed the publication of several outstanding historical works on
the Ottoman period. Hala Fattah and Dina Rizk Khoury in particular have set in their books a high
standard of thorough research, careful analysis, and thoughtful conclusions. Now, in this
long-awaited book, Sarah Shields lives up to her predecessors' standard by making her own
excellent contribution to the study of Ottoman Iraq.