The Arabs in History - Softcover

Lewis, Bernard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061310298 ISBN 13: 9780061310294

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1993

Synopsis

This account of the history of the Arabs, from pre-Islamic times to the present day, considers Arabic culture, society and politics, as well as the place of the Arabs in human history. In this new edition of an established work, Professor Lewis examines the key issues of Arab development - their identity, the national revival which cemented the creation of the Islamic state, and the social and economic pressures that destroyed the Arab kingdom and created the Islamic empire. Similarly, he analyzes the forces which contributed to that empire's eventual decline: political break-up, economic decay and extravagance, invasions and the impact of the West. For, Lewis argues, Western inventions have shattered the traditional economic structure, and demand a social, political and cultural readjustment that is still to be made. Bernard Lewis has also written "The Emergence of Modern Turkey" and "The Muslim Discovery of Europe".

About this title

Review

Review from previous edition clear, fascinating and valuable (The Guardian)

stimulating ... The continuous regard paid to the development of trade and economy deserves partucular praise. (History)

Professor Lewis has admirably achieved his object, notably bringing out broad economic trends (International Affairs)

He writes concisely and clearly, ... a useful account of the challenges and crises both faced and precipitated by the Arabs in their long history. (Veronica Sen, Canberra Times)

... enormously influential history ... after reading 'Gibbon on Muhammad', it is tempting to speculate that Lewis's long-standing interest in the eighteenth-century historian may have influenced his own ambition to scan grand horizons, his taste for irony and his unmistakably elegant literary style. (Robert Irwin, Middle Eastern Studies)

About the Author

About the Author: Bernard Lewis is Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of Near Eastern Studies Emeritus at Princeton University. He is the author of many books, including Race and Slavery in the Middle East, The Muslim Discovery of Europe, The Assassins, and The Political Language of Islam.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0061310298
• ISBN 13: 9780061310294
• Binding: Paperback