Description
Ira Lapidus' history explores the beginnings and transformations of Islamic civilizations in the Middle East and details Islam's worldwide diffusion.
About the Author
Ira M. Lapidus is Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout his long and illustrious career he has published extensively. His abiding interest has been the relationships among families, tribes, religious communities, cities and states. This is exemplified in his current work and previous publications, including Muslim Cities in the Later Middle Ages (1967, 1984), Middle Eastern Cities (edited, 1969), Contemporary Islamic Movements in Historical Perspective (1983), Islam, Politics and Social Movements, co-edited with Edmund Burke (1988), A History of Islamic Societies (1988, 2002), and Islamic Societies to the Nineteenth Century: A Global History (2012).
Reviews
Review of previous edition: 'This book is a major undertaking and deserves to be saluted as an outstanding achievement. Professor Lapidus' A History of Islamic Societies belongs to a rare breed of works.' World Quarterly
Review of previous edition: 'I do not think that any other world civilization can boast a comparable general account of such substance and quality. ... This is a great deal more than a textbook. It is a product of learning, intellect and style of an extremely high order.' Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
Review of previous edition: 'The value of A History of Islamic Societies lies in its sheer comprehensiveness. In one volume a vast amount of material is synthesized and presented in a clear and effective style. There is nothing else like it.' The Journal of Asian Studies
Review of previous edition: 'Lapidus is concerned not with defining an essential Islam, but rather with mapping the role of Islamic beliefs, institutions and identities in particular historical contexts.' International Journal of Middle East Studies
Review of previous edition: 'Ira Lapidus' A History of Islamic Societies has served students for twenty-five years as an accessible but thorough introduction to the full sweep of Islamic history. The book provides a powerful comparative framework for appreciating both diversity and continuity in Islamic historical experience.' Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations
Review of previous edition: 'By this singular work Lapidus, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Berkeley, has ... placed himself in the recording of Islamic history on a pedestal equivalent to Gibbon's for that of Rome.' The Book Review Literary Trust, New Delhi
Book Information
ISBN 9780521732970
Author Ira M. Lapidus
Format Paperback
Page Count 1017
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 1590g
Dimensions(mm) 254mm * 177mm * 38mm