Skilfully navigating Libya's eventful past, this fully updated edition of Ronald Bruce St John's authoritative work includes an in-depth examination of the 2011 rebellion that finally put an end to over 40 years of Qadaffi's authoritarian rule. From early Greek settlements to the infamous Lockerbie bombing, and from the colonel's astonishing return to the international stage to the events that led to his ousting, this is an essential introduction to this turbulent land on the cusp of Africa and the Middle East.