The Arab World: An Illustrated History (Hippocrene Illustrated Histories) [Paperback]

Kirk H. Sowell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 0781809908 | ISBN-13: 978-0781809900

This account presents the panoramic experience of the Arab peoples, whose world has expanded from the Arabian Peninsula to include North Africa, the Levant, and the Persian Gulf. The narrative depicts the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and the empire founded by his successors, which encompassed the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Following this empire's fragmentation circa AD 900, Central Asian rulers controlled the Arab world. Ultimately, the age of European dominance produced the modern Middle Eastern and North American states. The author concludes with an analysis of present-day challenges facing the Arab nations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kirk H Sowel received his bachelor's degree in Middle Eastern studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from Cornell Law School. He spent a year studying at the University of Jordan in Amman as a recipient of the National Security Educational Program scholarship. Sowell is a freelance writer on legal and international affairs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Hippocrene Books (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0781809908
• ISBN-13: 978-0781809900
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,838,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The author humbly submits the following comments:, January 15, 2005

By 

Kirk H Sowell (Washington D.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Arab World: An Illustrated History (Hippocrene Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

This is an all-purpose introduction to the Arab world. Whether you are interested in the ancient Near East, the Middle East during the age of medieval Europe, Arab contributions to the sciences and liberal arts, need an introduction to the basics of Islam or want some background on modern topics such as the rise of Saudi Arabia, the Israeli-Arab conflict or the growth of Islamist movements, my book should be what you need.

If you want more depth, the endnotes are included after each chapter (rather than the end of the book) for easy reference, and there is an extensive bibliography as well. You can email me for more reference material and I'll be happy to help.

If you want further information, please visit my website, arabworldanalysis.com. There you will find not only a table of contents but also a more in-depth preview of the substance of each chapter. If you read the book and have comments or questions please feel free to send me an email, and I'll keep those in mind if/when I publish future revisions.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Timely Subject Well Written And Researched, November 21, 2004

By 

H. Jopling (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Arab World: An Illustrated History (Hippocrene Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

A well written, detailed history, of a complicated and relevant subject. This book is written in a way that allows you to read it at your own pace. The accompaning illustrations and maps are interesting and helpful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Muslim World pre-2000, November 30, 2010

By 

William Garrison Jr. (Bellevue, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Arab World: An Illustrated History (Hippocrene Illustrated Histories) (Paperback)

"The Arab World: An Illustrated History" (a volume in the `Illustrated Histories from Hippocrene' series) by Kirk Sowell, 2004, paperback, 293 pgs w/maps & photographs. This is a brief history of Islam since its founding to 2004, with much discussion about secular versus Islamist disputes during the 20th century. all compacted into barely 300 paperback pages. The author briefly discusses some of Muhammad's problems in trying to entice Jews to his religion, but doesn't analyze why these differences and eventual armed hostilities between them developed the religious justification for modern Muslim hatred towards the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel. This is a good introductory book, but its lacks sufficient details to explain some important underlying issues, such as the Shia-Sunni division. Sadly, the "illustrations" in this book really don't add much to the stories within the book. Too many photos of some `Arab' native who looked liked he could have came from ANY middle-eastern country. The `scientific' discoveries of Islam are discussed in less than three pages. Fortunately, there isn't much Muslim history between 800-1400, simply, because there is so much. The author essentially jumps to the Ottoman Age, but devotes only 30 pages to it, because the author wants to finish the last fourth of his book in discussing how the Zionist movement began to repopulate Palestine with Jews oriented towards establishing a Jewish state of Israel, as well as how Saud created his country out of Arabia, and how other Arab states evolved from the breaking up of the Ottoman Empire. The author briefly highlights the history of the creation of these countries, but writing in 2003, the author did not express much hope for immediate `peace' anywhere in the Middle East - whether the country was Israel vs. Syria (Hizbollah), Palestine (Hamas vs. Fateh), or Iran with the rise of Khomeinism domineering over secularism. Doesn't get into any in-depth discussion of Islamic theology, nor social or prayer customs. Interestingly, one of the few rare books that discusses why the economies of some of the M.E. countries are so messed-up due to their socialistic economies. A good introductory book for a beginning student wanting a quick review of Middle East history, but doesn't add much for those already familiar with Islam. Its professing to be an `illustrated' history is a bit pretentious, there really aren't that many photographs - most of them could have been deleted, as they really don't add anything to understanding something about Islam.