The Arabs in History

Excellent book and very informative to recent events. It was easy to read. I highly recommend it.

Bernard Lewis is one of the greatest historians of the Middle East today. Great insight and sharp analysis of the author !

This book covers the history of the Arabic world since pre Mohammed times to date. Of course, given the length of the book, you cannot expect a very detailed treatment nor an in depth analysis (the same author seems to offer them in other works). But as a concise and first-approach History is very useful. If you just need to get the facts, a road map and a sense of what has been the History of the Middle East, this is a very useful book. It is short, fast to read and opens up your appetite for more. It does not answer questions but it does something more important: it makes you ask lots of questions.

This is easily the worst of Bernard Lewis' books I have read. I have great respect for Lewis for his historical work and have highly recommended several of his books, even when I disagree with some key conclusions. This book is not among them. It states a long series of fiction as facts, without even bothering to explain what is the source of his claims. Anyway, it is not a serious enough book to warrant any review. Total waste of time.

Great source for Middle East history

I would give it zero stars if I could. Bernard Lewis, while well-read, demonstrates a concerning disregard for facts. The more he reads and discovers, the less factual his pronouncements seem to become. It appears he operates with a pre-determined agenda, much like the social scientists criticized by C. Wright Mills in The Sociological Imagination – individuals who manipulate information to suit their own purposes. This book is largely useless, except for the list of further readings at the end.

Bernard Lewis was one of the most famous historians on middle eastern history with his experience stretching over more than six decades with this book’s date going back to 1947 with several editions added reaching this edition in 1992. The author used the book to examine the place of Arabs in human history, Arab identity, and Arab achievements. The impact of social needs on the formation of a religion was an interesting aspect pointed out several times. For readers interested in the subject, this book gives a general overview as basis for more detailed reading.

The Arabs in History is for anyone with an interest in learning the history of the Middle East and in understanding why the present situation is the way it is.

Such a treasure! You can find everything about the Arabs. Starting from the first years -5-6th century, it explains the Arabs and Islam, their way of living, expansion, religion, traditions, most important Sheiks and Sultans, the sects of the religion, the differences between the Arabs, economic and political situation. The books consists of 10 chapters: Arabia before Islam / Muhammed (s.a.v) and the rise of Islam / The age of the conquests / The Arab Kingdom / The Islamic Empire / The Arabs in Europe / Islamic Civilization / The Arabs in Eclipse and the impact of the West. What is left? Almost nothing. There is a chronological table from 853 BC till 2000. Everything is explained clearly and it is easy to read.

Excellent ... I read the 2nd edition and this latest edition refines a few points but maintains the original essence of the book. A must read, especially today with all the terrorism that is happening in the world today; it helps understand the origin of a what most suspected.

great book

Beautifully written, and very informative.

Can the sweep of the Arabs in history be done in 200 pages? Just barely. Think of this more as an extended essay as to what are the bare essences of what the Arabs mean to world history.