Muhammad

I have been a serious student of the history of western religions for 5 or 6 years, with emphasis on the beginnings and early years of Christianity in the context of the cultures, philosophies and religions of the time (Jewish, Greek, Roman, Persian etc.), and the subsequent development of the 6th-7th century world in which Islam arose and flourished. I have accumulated a sizable reference collection and thought I hadn't missed very much. But I just ran across Michael Cook's 'Muhammad', and it is the book I would recommend that any interested beginner read for a short account of Muhammed and the origins of Islam. Only 89 pages, it is especially good on the relationships between Islam and its Arabian cultural roots, and between Islam and Judaism & Christianity. The writing style is so clear and effective that it took my breath away more than once. Other reviewers here criticize it as an apology for Islam, as speculating things that are in dispute, and as not being the best source on this subject. The first says less about this book or about Islam than it does about the reviewer. The second is true but trivial - Cook is clear that he is speculating when he does and it is a strength of this book that he is willing to. From my extensive reading, there is nothing in his speculations that is unreasonable. On the third, there are other good introductory books such as Karen Armstrong's 'History of God' and 'Islam', but this is the best well-written short treatment I have seen. Cook wrote a short, clear book in part by leaving out all the "maybes" and "so-and-so doesn't agree with this theory" verbiage. If you want a longer, every question & detail covered, a struggle to get through, reference-style treatment, well, they're out there. That's not what this is.