A History of the Arab Peoples: Second Edition [Hardcover]

Albert Hourani (Author), Malise Ruthven (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hourani examines Arabic-speaking nations of the Islamic world from the seventh century to the present in a volume that spent 12 weeks on PW 's bestseller list and was a History Book Club main selection. Illustrated.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Hourani (Emeritus Fellow, St. Anthony's College, Oxford) is the author of several well-known books on the Middle East, including Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 1983) and The Emergence of the Modern Middle East (Univ. of California Pr., 1980). This work, the first full-scale single-volume history of the Arabic-speaking peoples of the Islamic world in several decades, begins with Islam's rise in the 7th century and carries the rich and imposing story of Arab civilization to the late 1980s. In broad, sweeping strokes, Hourani moves easily from mosque to marketplace, from sultan to imam , from nomad to city-dweller, from Mohammed to Sadat. He dwells on the Ottoman Empire and on the European colonialism that followed, and concludes with a discussion of the modern resurgence of Islam that offers hope to thousands of Muslims and appears so threatening to Westerners. Written by a master historian, this work is now the definitive study of the Arab peoples. Recommended for interested laypersons and scholars; required reading for all specialists.
- Roger B. Beck, Eastern Illinois Univ., Charleston
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 624 pages
• Publisher: Belknap Press; With a New Afterword edition (April 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674010175
• ISBN-13: 978-0674010178
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #448,993 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a history of the people, September 1, 2004

By	H. Yang (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: A History of the Arab Peoples (Paperback)

When Hourani titled his book, "History of the Arab Peoples," he was being honest and literal--- the book is literally a history of the peoples, including the development of their interpretations of Islam, the formation of various schools of thought on the Islamic law and how literally it was to be interpreted, the conflict between secularism and fundamentalism and nationalism in the post-imperial period.

This is not a book about wars, nations, or heroes: the Crusades are barely mentioned, Salah-al-Din gets scant mention, as do Timur, the Mongols, or other great conquerors mythologized in Western poetry and children's stories. Rather, this is a book about society, about urbanization, about economic migration, about the development of political and national consciousness, about the development of literatures, about the use of colloquial versus classical Arabic in poetry, about the rise of Ottoman bureaucracies, and the basis of their legitimacy and power.

In short, this book is a history of the peoples: what shaped their intellectual development, the history of their cultures, etc. I think this is the right emphasis, because the political history (at least for the past 100 years) was mostly imposed by outsiders and is therefore (in my opinion) superficial, and is still in a state of fast flux and definition (e.g. what will be the political outcome in Iraq?), whereas a study of the core Arab / Islamic identity seems to be a more solid foundation from which one can attempt to understand the political structures that have been built. Put another way, Hourani's book will never go out of date, whereas a book that attempted more to explain the current politics of the Middle East would only survive as long as the next treaty or revolution. Yes terrorism is completely unemphasized, but that is appropriate to the purpose of this history, and does not diminish from its importance or usefulness at all: you will not achieve any understanding of the Arab peoples by studying terrorism, but you will go a long way toward understanding terrorism by studying the history of the Arab peoples.

I agree with previous reviewers that more exposition of the differences in the Islamic schools of thought would have been helpful, as would have been a glossary (versus having to flip to the first reference to that word in the text). I would have also liked more emphasis on scientific, technological, financial and economic innovation, as opposed to the emphasis mostly on philosophical innovation. The treatment of debate on the proper role of logic and argument in the study of Islam is quite good. Finally, the author adopts a secular, non-Western viewpoint that is quite refreshing and appropriate.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, July 18, 2005

By	Munir "ahmad" (Cerritos, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of the Arab Peoples (Paperback)

Although I'm not an expert in Arab history per se, I am something of a student of Islamic religious sciences- which is incidentally a huge chunk of the Arab intellectual tradition (along with philosophy). Hourani masterfully covers the three basic disciplines- sharia (law, jurisprudence), kalam (theology), and Sufism (mysticism, spirituality)- and traces their development historically, frequently quoting primary sources. It is certainly one of the best, most comprehensive treatments I have come across. In regards to some reviewers faulting Hourani for not devoting enough space to Prophet Muhammad- I believe Hourani made a wise choice; he basically limited his treatment to what everyone can agree on, which I think is appropriate since this is a book on Arab and not Islamic history. However, it is indeed sometimes difficult to separate Arab from Islamic history; Imam al Ghazali, a key figure in this book and a towering figure in Islamic scholasticism, was actually a Persian, while Saladin, the most famous Muslim leader during the Crusades, was of Kurdish background. Indeed, one could even argue that the Arabs had a relatively limited political/economic role in Islamic history after 900 AD. compared to the Persians and Turks.

81 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Trying................., November 18, 2001

By	nto62 (Corona, CA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

This review is from: History of the Arab Peoples (Hardcover)

I finish most books in a week. Even the most punishing efforts I can conclude within a fortnight. Hourani's History of the Arab Peoples took me two months. This extended duration was not caused by any inability to fully understand it's content, but for the simple fact that I continually avoided picking it up.

The unconscionable tragedy of September 11th inspired me to select this book from my shelf, purchased long before, to learn something more of the lands and events from which the terrorists sprung. History of the Arab Peoples is, in actuality, two books. The first half of the work deals not so much with the Arab peoples, but with the institution of Islam. Arab Christians and Jews receive short shrift as do any major historical event by Western reckoning. You will find scant reference of the Crusades, of Jerusalem, of colonial strife. Instead, we learn not what the Arab Peoples did, but the boundary of Islam within which they did it. Truly, the first 250+ pages would be better entitled A History of Islam.

The latter half of the book consists mainly of the 19th century forward and it is here that Hourani finally uncouples, to whatever extent possible, the Arab peoples from Islam. Though he pays scant attention to events and prefers mainly to discuss socio-economic factors, the book manages to vault from mind numbing to something passably interesting.

All things considered, I didn't enjoy this book. Still, my disappointment stems not from what the book is, but rather from what the book is not. It is not a History of the Arab Peoples - a true history would predate Muhammad - but an in depth tour of Islam followed closely by a treatise on modern-day Arabic society. Do not read this book if a narrative Arabic history is what you seek.