Product Description

Upon its publication in 1991, Albert Hourani's masterwork was hailed as the definitive story of Arab civilization, and became both a bestseller and an instant classic. In a panoramic view encompassing twelve centuries of Arab history and culture, Hourani brilliantly illuminated the people and events that have fundamentally shaped the Arab world.

Now this seminal book is available in an expanded second edition. Noted Islamic scholar Malise Ruthven brings the story up to date from the mid-1980s, including such events as the Gulf War; civil unrest in Algeria; the change of leadership in Syria, Morocco, and Jordan; and the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001.

The terrorist attacks in the United States, ongoing crisis in Iraq, and renewed violence between Israelis and Palestinians all underscore the need for a balanced and well-informed understanding of the Arab world, and make this insightful history of the Arab peoples more important than ever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16904 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 624 pages

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.

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.

Review
"A masterly summation...it is difficult to overestimate the importance of this book." -- Edward W. Said, Chicago Sun-Times

"A splendid achievement...history in the grand style...written with grace and wisdom." -- L. Carl Brown, New York Times Book Review

"A valuable reference book...a joy to read...quite simple, the best general history of the Arab world a reader can buy." -- Boston Globe

Customer Reviews

a history of the people
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.

Well done
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.

Detailed and scholarly
Hourani's book is not light reading because of its rich details and incredible depth and breadth. In it, the history of the Middle East from pre-Islamic times to the present is chronicled - the majority of the book covering the Islamic world.

To one previously only briefly familiar with the area, the book was a little overwhelming. The information came fast and furious; fortunately the book was well written and read easily. Much of it deals not with political history, but rather with broader social themes: rural life compared to urban life, the common man compared to the educated elite, women and their role in Islamic society.

The only issue I had with this otherwise wonderful book was its lack of explaination of the various legal philosophies. (I am still puzzled between the differences of Hanafi, Maliki and Shaf'i interpretations of shari'a - Islamic law.) The fact that this is such a minor point given the scope of the book is testament to its otherwise fabulous nature.