This is not prerequisite reading material. It is guidance and recommendations. For example, there is only one book by Bernard Lewis on the list who is a well known scholar on the Middle East. That one book led to me reading other books by the same author, which go into greater depth than the one book that is listed. I guess you can refer to the list as a primer to what is actually on the shelves. The list itself can be viewed as a symbol of avoiding contempt prior to investigation. I think it is meant to be a little overwhelming. That the subject matter is very deep.