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6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Beautiful Oct 09, 2006
Although obviously intended for high school level, the text presents a great deal of fascinating historical information on the medeival Islamic world (even including the Bulgars, the Timurids, etc.), often rare to find elsewhere; it marks the inadequacy of Islamic studies in English that there are few scholarly books on Islamic history with the same breadth of scope. Although some statements concerning earlier Islamic history run counter to orthodox Muslim belief, the author is undoubtedly one of the best writers of Muslim history. The pictures and maps are also great.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
lovely and impressive Jul 29, 2006
Being a scholar of comparative religion but feeling lacking in my understanding of the general progress of Islam as a cultural (vice religious) phenomenon, I searched far and wide for a work on Islam akin to those of the Cultural Atlases series. Nicolle's work answered the mail admirably. The work is exceptionally well composed, indicative of a pleasing format and supporting browsing as well as research. Though the work cannot be called profound, factual information of considerable depth is nevertheless available to the targeted searcher. The book is admittedly weak on the theological underpinnings of the religion, though it nowhere claims to be an exploration of Islam as a religion per se: for such information, may I recommend Michael Jordan's handsome "Islam: An Illustrated History" (London: Carlton, 2002). I flatly disagree with those who claim that Ruthven's work is superior to Nicolle's: indeed, I found the former to be boring; superficial in its rigid obedience of the two-to-four-pages rule for every article; and, one might say, helter-skelter in its overall organization. While spelling errors in Nicolle (e.g., proselatize for proselytize) and typographical errors do not impress me, I shouldn't be too harsh, given that modern typesetting and typography for the consumption of the demanding twenty-first-century reader present such formidable challenges. (That, and a certain je ne sais quoi that probably deals with some intractable element of depth, justify my withholding of the fifth rating star.) Well done, Dr. Nicolle.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Masterpiece of illustrated history Jul 03, 2006
This book is overflowing with beautiful maps, fascinating photos and insightful descriptions. I find Nicolle's Historical Atlas of the Islamic World to be one of the best introductions to the history of the Muslim world. The layout is astounding, and puts much pricier atlases, even the Oxford Atlas of World History, to shame.
One should note that this is not just a history of the Muslim religion, but a broad description of the history and culture of Muslim countries, covering Spain, Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and of course the Middle East.
Mr. Nicolle's approach to Islam combines sympathy and neutrality. He is obviously one of the most eminent authorities on the Muslim world.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 very nice maps Feb 24, 2006
I bought this book to go along with a History of Islam course at my college, and though this book does not go into the historical details of Islam, and its treatment of it at times is simple, its maps allow me to follow along with the narrative in my class with an illuminated vision of where the action is taking place, in additon to other books, The Historical Atlas of the Islamic World has really helped me to understand my material better.
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