Search - Ancient Israel (Development of Western Civilization Series)

Excellent book on Ancient Israel...with a particularly good section on the Patriarchs and Judges.

Good beginner book carrying the history of the jewish people from habiru to the Babylonian exile in some detail and a chronology of the near east and maps of the old sites

From the back of the book:
This second edition of a classic work first published in 1954 offers a concisely organized, engagingly written interpretation of the society that produced the Bible. Tracing the fluctuating fortunes of the Hebrews and Israelites during the period between 2000 and 4000 BC, Orlinsky reveals how Jewish religious concepts developed in the context of actual historical situations.