The Oxford History of Islam (Hardcover)

~ (Editor) "Islam as a religion and civilization made its entry onto the world stage with the life and career of the Prophet Muhammad ibn Abd Allah..." (more)
Key Phrases: renewalist movements, caliphal empire, beveled style, North Africa, Middle East, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The entire history of Islamic civilization is, of course, too much to cover in a single volume, but John Esposito comes close. In a book topping 700 pages and containing over 300 photographs, Esposito brings together experts in fields such as early Islamic history, art and architecture, science and medicine, Islam in Africa and Southeast Asia, and contemporary Islam. Beginners will be swimming in new discoveries, while old hands will find connections and facts they never suspected. Majid Fakhry, for instance, shows not only the influence of philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes) on European intellectuals but also unveils the claims and counterclaims within Islamic philosophy over time. Dru Gladney takes us on an eye-opening journey through Islamic Central Asia and even China, where the Muslim Hui people are recognized as the country's third-largest minority nationality. And have you ever seen an exquisite mosque with towering spires made entirely of mud-brick, like there are in West Africa? Unfortunately, Esposito apparently couldn't find room here for separate sections on Sufism or Islamic literature, but there are more than enough mosques, paintings, historical maps, and tapestries throughout to keep you turning pages and learning with fascination. --Brian Bruya

From Publishers Weekly

A good introduction to Islamic history is hard to find, and readers interested in the world's second-largest religion can rejoice at finding this one. Esposito, professor of religious studies at Georgetown University, has brought together a fine cadre of scholars for this anthology. Fifteen articles cover almost every subject that might interest a novice in the field: philosophy, science, art, architecture and histories of Islamic empires and civilizations. The art (100 b&w photos and 200 four-color illustrations) comes fast and thick, adding a great deal to the text. A particular virtue of the book is its extension of Islamic history into the present day, with articles focusing on colonialism, American and European Muslims and 20th-century Islamic revivalism. The book is not perfect, of course, and some of its faults are serious. Only one contribution is dedicated to religious belief and practice as such, and it is one of the weaker articles in the collection. Also, although Sufism is of paramount importance in Islamic history, there is no essay dedicated to the mystical branch of Islam, and the activities of Sufi orders form only a part of several of the historical articles. That said, this valuable and near-comprehensive tome would be a welcome addition to many libraries' shelves. (Nov.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 768 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195107993
• ISBN-13: 978-0195107999
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.7 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #60,300 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent chapter on Islamic (Arabic) mathematics., May 21, 2000

By A Customer

I came across this book while browsing in a bricks-and-mortar bookstore, and couldn't put it down. I found the chapter on Muhammad and the founding of Islam quite enlightening, for example, and I thoroughly enjoyed the brilliantly illustrated discussion of arabesques in Islamic art and architecture.

However, I firmly believe the chapter on Islamic mathematics (the work of mathematicians who lived under Islamic rule and wrote in Arabic) is the one jewel that makes the book unique. I would love to find a book that expands that discussion further. I was most intrigued when I read that Arab mathematicians discovered key advances that are usually credited to Viete and Descartes, centuries before these western Europeans lived.

Overall, an excellent--and unusually deep--coffee table book, on a much neglected subject.

35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History of Islam, March 27, 2000

By A Customer

Once again, Professor Esposito has compiled a book rich in information and objective analysis of one of the world's largest religions. At a time when Islam is constantly bombarded with negative stereotypes and disparagement in the media, Esposito provides a clear, cohesive portayal of the past 1400+ years of Islam. This book will easily serve as a definitive reference guide and information resource for Islam by a very reputable author.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immersion in a book, May 8, 2001

By	Erica "Erica" (Washington State) - See all my reviews

A huge and absolutely beautiful book, so sensitively illustrated that you'll spend hours combing the pictures before you even dip into the text. The many essays detail out the rise of Islam and its accompanying culture, and it's the first general survey I've seen to cover sub-Saharan Africa as well as Eurasia, the Far East, and the Indian sub-continent. As good as the text is, though--and as fun---it's those pictures that make this book superb. From lone minnerets on the Xinjiang plains to the gorgeous mud-brick mosques of Djenné, the architectural dictates of Islam have produced some of the most striking and functional buildings our species has ever come up with. It gives me a great sense of communion with the Moslem world, whatever our ideological differences. The pictures in this Oxford History are sensitive and at times poignant...a close-up of a gorgeous tiled pillar, with the tile flaking off with age, revealing superb brickwork underneath comes to mind.

Those who like me know little of the Moslem world will appreciate the very readable text, with its slightly shaming details (the Moslems came up with the idea of a Hospital/dispensary as an adjunct to the mosque.....and their brilliant textiles were carried off by returning crusaders who had little appreciation for how difficult they were to make!)

As a scholarly text, "The Oxford History of Islam" may indeed have some holes---I wouldn't know. But as an introduction to the addictive beauties of Islamic art, and as an overview of the Moslem explosion throughout the world (including some Eurasian places you've never heard of!) I can't think of a better selection than this. You'll never want to part with it.