The Oxford History of Islam - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195107993 ISBN 13: 9780195107999

Publisher: OUP USA, 2000

Synopsis

This lavishly illustrated book begins in the pre-Islamic world and details the birth, development, and growth of Islam through to the present. It is arranged both thematically and chronologically, tracing the growth of Islamic faith, laws science, art and philosophy through time and across the world, and discussing as well the spread of Islam throughout the middle East, Africa, India, Central and East Asia, and finally Europe and North America. The contributors are all top-level scholars and experts in their fields; they bring a variety of backgrounds and points of view to the work.

About this title

Review:

The entire history of Islamic civilisation is, of course, too much to cover in a single volume, but John Esposito comes close. In a book topping 700 pages and containing over 300 photographs, Esposito brings together experts in fields such as early Islamic history, art and architecture, science and medicine, Islam in Africa and Southeast Asia, and contemporary Islam. Beginners will be swimming in new discoveries, while old hands will find connections and facts they never suspected. Majid Fakhry, for instance, shows not only the influence of philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes) on European intellectuals but also unveils the claims and counterclaims within Islamic philosophy over time. Dru Gladney takes us on an eye-opening journey through Islamic Central Asia and even China, where the Muslim Hui people are recognised as the country's third-largest minority nationality. And have you ever seen an exquisite mosque with towering spires made entirely of mud-brick, like there are in West Africa? Unfortunately, Esposito apparently couldn't find room here for separate sections on Sufism or Islamic literature, but there are more than enough mosques, paintings, historical maps, and tapestries throughout to keep you turning pages and learning with fascination. --Brian Bruya

Review:

fine volume ... excellent ... admirable (Karen Armstrong, The Times 7/6/00)

About this edition

• Publisher: OUP USA
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0195107993
• ISBN 13: 9780195107999
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 764
• Editor: Esposito John L.