Historical Atlas of the Islamic World
Grade 9 Up–This volume packs in a great deal of information not usually gathered in one place. Limited to the first millennium of Islamic history, the 12 chapters range from the culture of pre-Islamic Arabia and its contacts with its neighbors through the period of the early caliphs and on into the various ruling dynasties and peoples that marked Islam to the time of the European Renaissance. It examines such early dynasties as the Umayyads and the Abbasids as well as the successive medieval waves of non-Arab conquerors. Nicolle is careful to note the ways in which Islamic culture absorbed and modified features from its original neighbors–the Byzantines and the Sassanians–its conquerors, and the peoples it conquered, exposing Islam to Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and pagan influences. Substantial portions of the text deal also with the Muslims in Spain, India, sub-Saharan Africa, and Russia, as well as Muslim advances in geography, astronomy, and various arts. The photographs, though generally small, are colorful, inviting, and informative. The maps are beautiful, but cities and areas noted in the text are not always included on the accompanying map (and must be found on earlier or succeeding pages). Still, this title supplies a wealth of information in an attractive format.–Coop Renner, Fairmeadows Elementary, Duncanville, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.