Selected Product:
| The Oxford History of Islam
Hardcover
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Release Date: 2000-01-01
ISBN-10: 0195107993
ISBN-13: 9780195107999
List Price: $60.00
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Lavishly illustrated with over 300 pictures, including more than 200 in full color, The Oxford History of Islam offers the most wide-ranging and authoritative account available of the second largest--and fastest growing--religion in the world.
John L. Esposito, Editor-in-Chief of the four-volume Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World, has gathered together sixteen leading scholars, both Muslim and non-Muslim, to examine the origins and historical development of Islam--its faith, community, institutions, sciences, and arts. Beginning in the pre-Islamic Arab world, the chapters range from the story of Muhammad and his Companions, to the development of Islamic religion and culture and the empires that grew from it, to the influence that Islam has on today's world. The book covers a wide array of subjects, casting light on topics such as the historical encounter of Islam and Christianity, the role of Islam in the Mughal and Ottoman empires, the growth of Islam in Southeast Asia, China, and Africa, the political, economic, and religious challenges of European imperialism in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and Islamic communities in the modern Western world. In addition, the book offers excellent articles on Islamic religion, art and architecture, and sciences as well as bibliographies.
Events in the contemporary world have led to an explosion of interest and scholarly work on Islam. Written for the general reader but also appealing to specialists, The Oxford History of Islam offers the best of that recent scholarship, presented in a readable style and complemented by a rich variety of illustrations.
phenomenal!!!
| Customer Rating: | | the oxford history of islam is, in my opinion, a masterpiece. while i am no content scholar of islam, i note that the few facts that i do know corresponded with the facts presented in this book. the text is written in a manner quite easy to read. frankly, i still have difficulty distinguishing islamic names. the thickened pages and the exquisite photography and separate sections describing history, religion, architecture ... make this book truly outstanding. i bought this at the used price. while i'm glad i did, knowing what i know today, i would have paid the full market price and been delighted!!! i recommend this book for anyone who wishes to better understand islam, scholars might be bored - familiar with the content and, it really is for the generalist. but, what a great book for the generalist! |
inconsistent, but informative
| Customer Rating:  | This history of Islam is a putative book for beginners and scholars alike. However, I doubt that absolute beginners will find the book useful. Too many times the authors barrage the reader with names of Islamic movements, terms, place-names, and people. Often they do this and fail to provide much needed explanatory background.
That being said, many of the chapters are excellently written and supremely informative. From the Prophet Muhammad and the early Caliphate, to Islam in the global world, almost every important topic is covered. The book is also extremely fair and balanced in its coverage. There is no Bernard Lewis venom, nor cheap apologetics toward Islamic societies.
I would recommend this to a novice with some background. A true beginner's book it is not, but a truly enlightening book it certainly is. |
Venerable, Solid Islamic History Text
| Customer Rating: | I was required to read this text as part of a college History of Islam course, one of several classes I've taken dealing with Islamic studies. The chapters have been prepared by various scholars and expositors and deal with the genesis of Islam through the turn of the last century (the text was published in 1999). The chapters are presented in an essay format and have a consistent feel throughout. Since the material was prepared by distinct authors, there's occasional beneficial overlap in which certain important personalities pop up again and again, lit up by slightly varying perspectives.
The authors do an excellent job of leading the reader-student through the early period of Islam, then through the various caliphal dynasties, and then through the distinct Islamic civilizations and the main empires (northern African/Arabian, Ottoman/Turkish, Safavid/Persian, and Mughal/Indian) through the Colonial into the post-Colonian/Modern period. In addition to covering the expected historical events and personalities, there are some great chapters on Islamic contributions to art, architecture and science.
A few of the chapters seemed to contain a bit of editorializing and some softening of negative aspects of Islamic history and the conduct of some Muslims, but the overall quality of the writing is excellent.
I won't be selling this text. I'm eager to hang onto it as a reference. |
BEST SINGLE BOOK ON ISLAM
| Customer Rating: | This is probably the best single work on Islam available, including material on its history, art, customs and impact worldwide. If one has limited time or interest in the subject, they could stick with this book alone and learn a great deal. The first half is superb as an introduction to the faith, particularly the chapter on Christianity. The authors do a fine job of weaving history and religious tradition together in their descriptions and accounts.
So why not five stars then? Unfortunately, things fall apart considerably in the second half. Chapters focus on the faith in different regions, which is fine, but here the authors move away from basic explanations and focus on material of interest to experts. We are not told, for instance, what factors made Islam a success or failure in parts of the Far East or Africa. How effective were Muslim missionaries in these areas? How does religious practice differ from place to place? This is an edited work, so the book's quality varies from chapter to chapter. |
Great Book!
| Customer Rating: | | A great book about the history of Islam. A must buy for all people! |
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