Portrait of Islam: A Journey Through the Muslim World - Hardcover

Laurance, Robin

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9780500510988: Portrait of Islam: A Journey Through the Muslim World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0500510989 ISBN 13: 9780500510988

Publisher: Thames & Hudson, 2002

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Photographs depict the people of the Islamic world from Africa to the Middle East to Asia, highlighting their similarities and differences and providing an explanation of the Islamic religion and culture.

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About the Author:

Robin Laurance began his career as a photographer with The Guardian, and has subsequently worked on assignments for many other newspapers and magazines. His book The Millennium Generation was published by Thames & Hudson in 1999.

Dr Robin Ostle is a fellow in Modern Arabic at St John's College, Oxford, and has published widely on many aspects of the Middle East.

From Library Journal:

These two illustrated volumes attempt to address the ongoing need for accessible books on Islam. Jordan (The Pagan Encyclopedia), a former broadcaster with a personal interest in religious anthropology, presents a readable introduction to Islamic history. Jordan divides his subject into manageable proportions, treating Islam's origins, the life of the Prophet, the Islamic empire, the Qur'an, worship, branches of Islam, holy places, and law. He renders the religion understandable by making comparisons that will speak to a Christian audience. Well-chosen illustrations complement the text. The main caveats are that Jordan is not academically trained and sometimes strays into areas with which he is unfamiliar. His statements regarding movements arising in Islam are suspect-e.g., he mischaracterizes the Babi movement as a Sufi order and incorrectly states that Baha'u'llah claimed to be the Twelfth Imam. A photojournalist whose work has appeared in publications in America and Britain, Laurance has created a coffee-table book on the Muslim world. This volume is less a review of Islam than a visual record of the lives and surroundings of Muslims. Aside from a few images of mosques and people at prayer, the photographs depict children, women, and men in various daily activities-for instance, veiled women talking, men conversing while tending camels, markets, street vendors, a family sacrificing a lamb for Eid al-Adha, and artwork painted on a truck in Karachi. The photographs are arranged by region-North and West Africa, Near and Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Jordan's volume is appropriate for public libraries, while Laurance's may be useful in public libraries with shelf space for photography books. Both books require that the purchasing library already have or be ready to acquire additional works on Islam.
William P. Collins, Library of Congress
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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