Zaur Gasimov is a research fellow at the German Orient Institute in Istanbul (Turkey)/Max Weber Foundation. He contributed on history and politics of Russia and Turkey for the leading German and European academic periodicals.

• Editor’s Foreword Jon WoronoffAcknowledgementsReader’s NoteAcronyms and AbbreviationsMapChronologyIntroductionThe DictionaryAppendixesAppendix A: Communist Party Leaders of Azerbaijan (1920-91)Appendix B: Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Since 1991)Appendix C: Demographic situation in Soviet and post-Soviet AzerbaijanAppendix D: Ethnic structure of population (1926-2016)BibliographyAbout the Author

Rowman & Littlefield’s excellent series of historical dictionaries continues with this new edition (1st ed., 1999) on Azerbaijan. The bulk of this valuable reference work by new author Gasimov (German Orient Institute in Istanbul) is composed of an A-to-Z listing of over 500 cross-referenced entries with brief essays that elucidate the country's important people, events, locations, institutions, etc., making the study of Azerbaijan much easier. The introductory chronology offers broad sweeps of the history of the land that would become Azerbaijan from the ninth century BCE to 2017. While not comprehensive, the chronology offers points of reference for those unfamiliar with the land’s history. The main introduction continues this general treatment, giving readers further contextual grounding in the history of Azerbaijan, with specific focus on the Soviet and Republican periods. A short series of appendixes list Azerbaijani leadership in the Soviet and Republican periods, as well as historical population figures. Arguably the most invaluable aspect of the work is in the bibliography section, which lists critical scholarship on Azerbaijan in multiple languages and disciplines. For area and global studies reference collections, as well as collections dedicated to the Caucasus and the former Soviet Union.Summing Up: Highly recommended. Most academic levels/libraries.