A History of Medieval Islam

From the Dust Jacket: "This is an introduction to the history of the Muslim East from the rise of Islam to the Mongol conqusts. It explains and indicates the main trends of Islamic historical evolution during the Middle Ages, and will help the non-Orientalist to understand something of the relationship between Islam and Christendom in those centuries. Mr. Saunders discusses the mission of Muhammad, the Arab conqusts, the rise and decline of the empire of the Caliphs, the Isma'ilian schism and the Fatimid anti-Caliphate. He also deals with the coming of the Seljuk Turks, the Crusades and the Mongol invasions, and the character of the great Arabic civilization which led the world for so long and contributed to the Renaissance of Western Europe. The author expressly concentrates on general trends and patterns of evolution, but has nevertheless managed to convey a great deal of factual information as well as evaluation and interpretation. A distinctly clearer picture of the period as a whole and its significance in world history emerges from this book than from larger and more detailed works..." Contents include: Glossary; Dates; Arabia and her neighbors; Prophet; First conquests; Civil wars; Arab Empire; Abbasid Revolution; Breakup of the Caliphate; Isma'ilian Schism; Turkish irruption; Christian counter-attack; Mongol disaster; Civilization of Medieval Islam; Index." Illustrations include: 6 maps.

Saunders has put together a nice introduction to the early history of the Islamic world. At two hundred pages it is longer than most authors of long works dedicate to this period, but still short enough so as not to overwhelm the reader with unfamiliar people and places. The best feature of Saunders treatment of this period is the manner in which he easily cuts through all the confusion of the many movements, particularly the various Shiite movements, to find the simplest way to explain them (and their importance). Saunders also raises the interesting point that the Arabs became the inheritors of Hellenism via Rome and Persia, although he does not examine this in much detail. Written in clear language, brief, concise, and efficient, this is a nice introduction to early Islamic society.