Items related to The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western...
Synopsis
For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was backward and benighted, locked into the Dark Ages and barely able to tell the time of day. Augustine had decreed that belief, not reason, should be the guiding light of Christian thinking and partially as a result Europeans lived in a world of nominal literacy and subsistence farming, where blind faith, superstition and sorcery took the place of medicine, and the church harnessed nascent aggression among the kingdoms to its own ends in the pursuit of astonishingly violent and cruel holy wars - the Crusades. Arab culture, however, was thriving, and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and discussion that dazzled the likes of Adelard of Bath who ventured to the Near East in search of the scientific riches pouring out of cities like Antioch or Baghdad, whose House of Wisdom held four hundred thousand books at a time when the best European libraries housed, at most, several dozen. The Arabs could measure the earth's circumference, a feat not matched in the West for eight hundred years; they discovered algebra; were adept at astronomy and navigation, developed the astrolabe, translated all the Greek scientific and philosophical texts including, importantly, those of Aristotle; they made paper lenses and mirrors. Without them, and the knowledge that travellers like Adelard brought back to the West, Europe would in all likelihood have been a very different place over the last millennium. In this fascinating and thoughtful book Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the Arab thinkers of the past, explores and reveals the extent of their learning and describes the intrepid adventures of those who went in search of it and who, in doing so, laid the foundations of what we now call the Renaissance.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Product Description
Rare Book
Review
'Lyons gives us a new and important understanding of our historical and cultural relation to Islam and the Arab world ... this is a well-crafted, powerful account which akss us to re-examine our assumptions about East and West, a task never so neccessary as now'
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Publication date2009
- ISBN 10 0747594007
- ISBN 13 9780747594000
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages272
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
Published by
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, United Kingdom, London, 2009
ISBN 10: 0747594007
ISBN 13: 9780747594000
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was backward and benighted, locked into the Dark Ages and barely able to tell the time of day. Augustine had decreed that belief, not reason, should be the guiding light of Christian thinking and partially as a result Europeans lived in a world of nominal literacy and subsistence farming, where blind faith, superstition and sorcery took the place of medicine, and the church harnessed nascent aggression among the kingdoms to its own ends in the pursuit of astonishingly violent and cruel holy wars - the Crusades. Arab culture, however, was thriving, and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and discussion that dazzled the likes of Adelard of Bath who ventured to the Near East in search of the scientific riches pouring out of cities like Antioch or Baghdad, whose House of Wisdom held four hundred thousand books at a time when the best European libraries housed, at most, several dozen. The Arabs could measure the earth's circumference, a feat not matched in the West for eight hundred years; they discovered algebra; were adept at astronomy and navigation, developed the astrolabe, translated all the Greek scientific and philosophical texts including, importantly, those of Aristotle; they made paper lenses and mirrors. Without them, and the knowledge that travellers like Adelard brought back to the West, Europe would in all likelihood have been a very different place over the last millennium. In this fascinating and thoughtful book Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the Arab thinkers of the past, explores and reveals the extent of their learning and describes the intrepid adventures of those who went in search of it and who, in doing so, laid the foundations of what we now call the Renaissance. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002196394
Quantity: 5 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom
Published by
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009
ISBN 10: 0747594007
ISBN 13: 9780747594000
Used
Hardcover
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00066729380
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization. Jonathan Lyons
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.15. Seller Inventory # G0747594007I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom
Seller: MusicMagpie, Stockport, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. 1725019591. 8/30/2024 12:06:31 PM. Seller Inventory # U9780747594000
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
Published by
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009
ISBN 10: 0747594007
ISBN 13: 9780747594000
Used
Hardcover
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Seller Inventory # wbs3420599170
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
Seller: medimops, Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. Befriedigend/Good: Durchschnittlich erhaltenes Buch bzw. Schutzumschlag mit Gebrauchsspuren, aber vollständigen Seiten. / Describes the average WORN book or dust jacket that has all the pages present. Seller Inventory # M00747594007-G
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom
Seller: Irish Booksellers, Portland, ME, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 0747594007-R
Quantity: 1 available
Seller Image
The House of Wisdom
Seller: Worldbridge Books, Reston, VA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very good. For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was backward and benighted, locked into the Dark Ages and barely able to tell the time of day. Augustine had decreed that belief, not reason, should be the guiding light of Christian thinking and partially as a result Europeans lived in a world of nominal literacy and subsistence farming, where blind faith, superstition and sorcery took the place of medicine, and the church harnessed nascent aggression among the kingdoms to its own ends in the pursuit of astonishingly violent and cruel holy wars - the Crusades. Arab culture, however, was thriving, and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and discussion that dazzled the likes of Adelard of Bath who ventured to the Near East in search of the scientific riches pouring out of cities like Antioch or Baghdad, whose House of Wisdom held four hundred thousand books at a time when the best European libraries housed, at most, several dozen. The Arabs could measure the earth's circumference, a feat not matched in the West for eight hundred years; they discovered algebra; were adept at astronomy and navigation, developed the astrolabe, translated all the Greek scientific and philosophical texts including, importantly, those of Aristotle; they made paper lenses and mirrors. Without them, and the knowledge that travellers like Adelard brought back to the West, Europe would in all likelihood have been a very different place over the last millennium. In this fascinating and thoughtful book Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the Arab thinkers of the past, explores and reveals the extent of their learning and describes the intrepid adventures of those who went in search of it and who, in doing so, laid the foundations of what we now call the Renaissance. 522. Seller Inventory # 41199660367908
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
Published by
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009
ISBN 10: 0747594007
ISBN 13: 9780747594000
Used
Hardcover
Seller: SN Books Ltd, Thetford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Orders shipped daily from the UK. Professional seller. Seller Inventory # mon0000015938
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
The House of Wisdom
Published by
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2009
ISBN 10: 0747594007
ISBN 13: 9780747594000
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Amazing Books Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: As New. Clean, sturdy hardcover w/jacket in excellent condition. WF. Seller Inventory # Sq10876
Quantity: 1 available