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Book Announcement: The Oxford History of Islam by Prof. John L. Esposito

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Dec 30, 1999, 3:00:00 AM12/30/99

Book Announcement: Prof. John L. Esposito (ed.):
The Oxford History of Islam (Jan 2000)

The Oxford History of Islam John L. Esposito (Editor)
bn.com Price: $34.96
Retail Price: $49.95
You Save: $14.99 (30%)
This book will be available January 3rd 2000,
place your advance order now and we will ship it when it arrives!
Format: Hardcover, 768pp.
ISBN: 0195107993
Publisher: Oxford University Press, Incorporated
Pub. Date: January 2000

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Reviews
From Library Journal
This universally appealing book, written for the general reader,
offers an excellent survey of recent Islamic scholarship.
Esposito, editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic
World, has gathered 16 leading scholars--Muslim and
non-Muslim--from various disciplines and diverse national and
religious traditions, to survey a wide range of subjects.
Contributors treat, among other things, Muslim history, law, and
society; art and architecture; and regional differences. Chapters
on the "Globalization of Islam" and "Contemporary Islam" are
particularly relevant to current events. Like most of the
publisher's "histories," this book is meticulous and thorough,
readable and comprehensive. An ideal one-volume source,
especially for those on a small budget, it is recommended for
academic and public libraries.--Michael W. Ellis, Ellenville P.L.,
NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

From Publisher's Weekly - 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 Cahners
Business Information.

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