History of the Arabs [Hardcover]

Philip K. Hitti (Author), Walid Khalidi (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2002

This classic history of the Arab peoples is a work of great thoroughness and insight which contains much to satisfy general readers as well as scholars. Here is the story of the rise of Islam in the Middle Ages, its conquests, its empire, its time of greatness and of decay, unrolling one of the richest and most instructive panoramas in history. For this reissue of the tenth edition, Walid Khalidi gives a brief overview of the history and content of the book, and emphasises the vital importance of Philip K. Hitti's magisterial and scholarly work to on-going attempts to bridge the Arab/Western cultural divide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The outstanding quality and merit of Professor Hitti's book is the abundance and facility of its references to original and primary sources, and the richness of atmosphere in which every page is steeped.' - New York Times 'Philip Hitti's splendid masterwork...[is] an essential purchase for all our libraries...' - David Sasha, Sepharic Heritage Update

About the Author

PHILIP K. HITTI was born in Lebanon in 1886 and from 1913 til his death in 1978 lived for the most part in USA, teaching first at Columbia and later at Princeton, from which he retired in 1954 as Professor of Semitic Literature and Chairman of the Department of Oriental Languages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 852 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave MD (September 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0333631412
• ISBN-13: 978-0333631416
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,716,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars dated but valuable, September 16, 2008

By 

The Um - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the Arabs, Revised: 10th Edition (Paperback)

I sympathize with reviewers who were offended by this book. There are, especially towards the beginning of the book, some generalizations that make me wince. And Hitti's vocabulary is full of obsolete ethnographic and anthropological terms that raise ugly associations with colonial racial ideas. Hitti wrote with the simplicity of scholars before multiculturalism and postmodernism, for whom the peoples of the world were specimens to be analyzed without regard to cultural sensitivity. Other scholars with encyclopedic knowledge of the Arabic peoples from Hitti's time were prone to generalizations: H. G. Farmer, who wrote the definitive book on Arabian music, was prone to say things like "As with all the Semites . . ."

But while Hitti may not have the cultural sensitivity of today's writers, his depth of knowledge is astonishing, and he writes beautifully. Where Hourani tells us relatively vaguely how things happened over centuries, Hitti shows us the singers of Medina, the philosophers of Baghdad, the slaves of Persia. Where Hourani's book is a good history, Hitti's book is also a work of art. Yes, be advised that Hitti's work is riddled with obsolete ideas, but also be aware that the very richness of his account argues against any stereotypes that he might have professed.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A poor effort, March 18, 2008

By 

Gogol (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: History of the Arabs, Revised: 10th Edition (Paperback)

For a long time Hourani and Hittis books were the standard reads for anyone wishing to have a book that would provide them with a brief introduction to Arab history. Even so, traditionally Hittis has been advised to approach with caution due to a number of errors that anyone with knowledge of Arab and/or Middle Eastern history would be able to discover.

I must say I found it interesting that two previous reviewers received so many negative points on their reviews especially one that did nothing more than point out the inaccuracies of the book. I can only assume that those who placed a negative to that review are unhappy with the fact that Hittis shortcomings as a scholar are so easily discovered that an amazon customer can find them.

That religion should not be an issue regarding this book is obvious. Both Hitti and Hourani are Arab Christians from Lebanon. Both taught in the United States and both published their books primarily aimed at an American audience.

I find however, a difference between the two men is that Hitti appears to have sacrificed scholarship for popularity and his book rather panders to established stereotypes rather than fact. For Hittis book never shys away from his staunch Lebanese nationalism so much so that reading the first few chapters of the book can become tiresome at reading such nonsense. If one wants to believe in a Lebanon cradle of civilization then so be it but please don't try and impose your opinions on us who are neither interested or care.

Hittis book provides the reader with a history of the Arabs from their bedouin origins through to the birth of Muhammad and the rise of the Islamic religion, the Islamic conquests and great Islamic empires of the Umayyads and Abbasids. As usual with popular books of this kind it deals briefly with Islamic Spain and Sicily.

Also typical to these kinds of books a brief history of the crusades is given where Hitti considers it an era of cross pollination of cultures a sort of first 'East meets West' That there were Arab and Turkish quarters in Constantinople (a traveller to Istanbul today can see the resting place of Arab diplomats from those early centuries) and in Russia. That until the 9th or 10th century Andalusia was not even predominantly Muslim are all fact ignored.

The Mamaluks are seen as an extension of Arabism (Even though they were Turks!) In the face of 'Turkish' Ottoman rule. The rise of Western powers, colonialism, renaissance of Arab thought etc all the usual that one may expect from a book published many decades ago. The problem is this book has been republished numerous times so you would expect someone to have edited and ironed out the obvious faults in this book.

An old and rather out of date book. You can find a lot better (Such as Houranis) if you want a brief history of the Arab peoples.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Need to Know, June 14, 2009

By 

Bankole Makinde "Bankym" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: History of the Arabs, Revised: 10th Edition (Paperback)

My Experience so far in reading and understanding other people's religious beliefs has increase tremendously, it i always good to be versatile so as to keep up. The book "History of the Arabs" has helped to understand beyond all mediocre readings.

Thanks for availing me the opportunity of buying at my finger tips.
Warm Regards
Banky