From the Publisher
"Few scholars are more fun to read than Robert Irwin. Not just an authority on medieval Arabic culture, he's also a literary journalist and novelist who writes with clarity, zest, and an almost encyclopedic erudition. To illuminate the life and thought of the fascinating fourteenth-century historian Ibn Khaldun, Irwin looks at The Arabian Nights, the philosophy of Averroes, Islamic occultism, Sufism, the researches of modern Arabists, and even the science fiction of Isaac Asimov. The result is an exhilarating work of intellectual recovery—learned, entertaining, and very welcome."—Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize–winning critic and author of Classics for Pleasure and Browsings "Robert Irwin takes a genuinely fresh look at one of the greatest Arab thinkers. Too often—as he shows—Ibn Khaldun has been lifted out of the fourteenth century and remodeled to fit our modern assumptions. This lively and deeply knowledgeable account makes him authentically unmodern, and utterly fascinating."—Noel Malcolm, All Souls College, University of Oxford"Few scholars could engage Ibn Khaldun with the expansive reference and acute insight of Robert Irwin. His is a masterful study of the outstanding visionary of Islamic civilization. This book will be required reading not just for students of world history but for all who want to grasp the future of the past."—Bruce B. Lawrence, author The "Koran" in English: A Biography"Using his virtually unrivaled knowledge of the Mamluk world, Robert Irwin puts Ibn Khaldun in his context as no one else has done. Irwin also gives a marvelous account of how Orientalists, historians, colonialists, and nationalists have interpreted Ibn Khaldun to serve their purposes, from the Ottoman Empire to the present. This is the work of a scholar at the height of his powers."—Francis Robinson, author of The Mughal Emperors"Questioning conventional views of Ibn Khaldun, this important book reflects Robert Irwin's deep knowledge and understanding of the medieval Muslim mind."—Hugh Kennedy, author of Caliphate: The History of an Idea
