Provisional Readings in the History of the Arabs and Arabic Culture. For the Use of Freshmen at the American University of Beirut.

RUSTUM, Asad J., & Constantine K. Zurayk (eds).

Published by Beirut: printed for Private Circulation, American Press, 1940

About this Item

First edition, with the bookplate of Christopher Henry Oldham Scaife (1900-1988), a fellow academic at the American University of Beirut. This collection of introductory essays examines the pre-Islamic era through to the 1940s. Chapters were contributed by prominent researchers such as Michael Jan de Goeje, Reynold A. Nicholson, H. A. R. Gibb, and Jurji Zaydan. This volume is an enlarged version of Zurayk's Provisional Reading in the Medieval History of the Near East (1934), with essays covering a variety of topics such as the Orthodox Caliphates, the Crusades, the Mamluk Sultanate, Umayyad Spain, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and Wahhabism. By embracing "not only the political, but also the economic, social and intellectual aspects of the history of the Arabs", the editors encourage "the student to look at the problems of history from many points of view and, as a consequence, to reach a more impartial and balanced attitude towards the past" (p. i). We have identified copies in grey wrappers with a dated title page and ones in orange wrappers with an undated title page. No priority has been established. Provenance: Professor Scaife taught at the Department of English Language and Literature at both the University of Cairo (then called Fu'ad al-Awwal University) and the American University of Beirut. He served as chairman of the department in the latter from 1957 to 1966. In his early career he worked as assistant editor of the Egyptian Gazette and in later years published translations of C. P. Cavafy's poetry, such as "The Hall Mirror" in 1935. Tamim pp. 127 & 138. Octavo. Maps in text. Original grey paper wrappers. Some notes in pencil to margins, shelf-mark to front free endpaper dated 13 February 1942. Wrappers sunned and worn, small closed tear to front wrapper repaired, contents lightly toned and with some damp-staining to rear: a very good copy.

Seller Inventory # 182196

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Provisional Readings in the History of the Arabs and Arabic Culture. For the Use of Freshmen at the American University of Beirut.
• Publisher: Beirut: printed for Private Circulation, American Press, 1940
• Edition: 1st Edition