The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World

Islamic peoples account for one-fifth of the world's population and yet there is widespread misunderstanding in the West about Islam. Francis Robinson and his team set out to address this, revealing with the help of sumptuous illustration, insight, and expertise, the complex and sometimes contrary nature of Muslim culture. As well as taking on the issues uppermost in everyone's minds, such as the role of religious and political fundamentalism, they demonstrate the importance of commerce, literacy and learning, Islamic art, the effects of immigration, exodus, and conquest, and the roots of current crises in the Middle East, Bosnia, and the Gulf. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the interaction between Islam and the West, from the first Latin translations of the Quran to the fatwa on Salman Rushdie, to dismantle our impression of Islam as a monolithic culture.

Foreword Ira M Lapidus; Preface;
Introduction Francis Robinson;
Part I:
1. The rise of Islam in the world Patricia Crone;
2. The emergence of the Islamic world system, 1000–1500 Robert Irwin;
3. The Islamic world system in the age of European expansion Steven Dale;
4. The Islamic world in the era of Western domination, 1800 to the present Sarah Ansari;
Part II:
5. The economy in Muslim societies K. N. Chaudhuri;
6. The ordering of Muslim societies Basim Musallam;
7. Knowledge, its transmission and the making of Muslim societies Francis Robinson;
8. Artistic expressions of Muslim societies Stephen Vernoit;
Conclusion Francis Robinson; Rulers of the Islamic World;
Glossary; Bibliography; Picture acknowledgements;
Index.

Royal Autobiography in the Book of Qoheleth
by Y.V. Koh

This study is concerned with the literary genre to which the book of "Qoheleth" belongs and on which it is modelled. It covers various aspects of literary analysis and the problem of making sense of the book as a whole. It suggests that "Qoheleth" is best described as a royal autobiography based on the arguments of specific literary features of style and content, resemblance to various kinds of royal autobiographical narrative from elsewhere in the ancient Near East, and the existence of a coherent worldview which the author presents as the fruit of his lifelong observations of the world.

Islam: An Illustrated History
by Greville Stewart Parker-Freeman, Stuart Munro-Hay

This lavishly illustrated work by two renowned scholars narrates the history of the spread of Islam all over the world, from its birth in Arabia in the seventh century to the present day. With its 180 maps, 200 illustrations, and carefully prepared text, the book brings clarity and understanding to a religious and cultural force of great contemporary significance. The name of Freeman-Grenville will be familiar to students of calendars and historical atlases, and particularly of the standard Islamic-Western calendar. First published in 1991, the book under review is a revised and expanded version. It is lavishly illustrated, and the text is clear. The regional sections are well laid out and easy to follow, and the chronological historical information is accurate. For readers interested in political, dynastic, and contemporary developments, the book will be a welcome aid.