Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages [Hardcover]

R. W. Southern (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 114 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (January 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674950550
• ISBN-13: 978-0674950559
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,087,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to the subject, September 16, 2000

By 

Mark Twain (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Western Views of Islam in the Middle Ages (Hardcover)

Southern's brief overview of western perceptions of Islam during the Middle Ages is extremely engaging. He has the rare gift of being able to combine good scholarship with flowing, entertaining prose.

Southern begins his discussion in the tenth century, when Europe had scarcely heard of Muhammad, and ends with the fifteenth, with the rise of the Ottoman empire. He investigates how medieval theologians perceived the role of Islam in Christian and world history, and outlines the intellectual and theological ramifications of the west's introduction to Islamic philosophy, along the way introducing the reader to some of the major religious and intellectual figures who played roles in the encounter.

The entire book is just over a hundred pages - you'll wish it was longer.