Jack M. Sasson currently serves as Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible at Vanderbilt Divinity School and as a Professor of Classics at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses primarily on Assyriology and Hebrew Scriptures, writing on the archives from eighteenth century BCE found at Mari, Syria, by the Euphrates, near the modern-day Syria-Iraq border as well as on biblical studies.
These volumes contain numerous helpful essays on the history of the ANE. Some essays are historical surveys; others are detailed descriptions of archeological findings of a certain ancient city. Other essays deal with language and art. Overall, this is one of the best volumes for a person to learn more about the ancient history of this part of the world. It would be helpful to those interested in history in general, and especially helpful for students of the Bible.
It has Nefertiti on the front, need I say more? I must admit sheepishly that I own these massive volumes, and this entire year I have had readings in every single class I've taken from them, known lovingly as CANE. Excellent ten page articles on every subject of the ANE just about and very informative.
This collection is wonderful. The books themselves are beautiful and quite affordable for what they are. If you are looking for an introductory article about anything having to do with the ANE, chances are, you can find it in these books.