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The House of Wisdom
How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
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Check link for latest rating. ( 1,087 ratings, 146 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book is ideal for readers interested in history, science, and the cross-cultural exchange of ideas, particularly those curious about the medieval period and the legacy of Arab intellectual contributions to the Western world.
For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was backward and benighted, locked into the Dark Ages. Arab culture, however, was thriving, and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and discussion that dazzled the likes of British adventurer Adelard of Bath. This title restores credit to the Arab thinkers of the past.
'A wonderful and important book which for the first time presents the Western debt to medieval Arabic learning in a clear, accessible manner ... fascinating ' William Dalrymple News about the contemporary Arab world is constantly in our press, creating a demand to know the history of this fascinating place This page-turning narrative history will captivate fans of Longitude by and Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was backward and benighted, locked into the Dark Ages and barely able to tell the time of day. Arab culture, however, was thriving and had become a powerhouse of intellectual exploration and discussion that dazzled the likes of British adventurer Adelard of Bath.
The Arabs could measure the earth's circumference (a feat not matched in the West for eight hundred years); they discovered algebra; were adept at astronomy and navigation, developed the astrolabe, translated all the Greek scientific and philosophical texts including, importantly, those of Aristotle. Without them, and the knowledge that travellers like Adelard brought back to the West, Europe would have been a very different place over the last millennium.
Jonathan Lyons restores credit to the Arab thinkers of the past in this riveting history of science from its earliest and most thrilling days in The House of Wisdom.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
William Dalrymple praises it as "a wonderful and important book" that clearly presents the Western debt to Arabic learning. The Times calls the narrative riveting and fast-paced, while the Guardian highlights Lyons's thorough research into how Arabic science influenced medieval Europe. The Wall Street Journal describes the book as "sophisticated and thoughtful" with a vivid and elegant style.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781408801215
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 01 March 2010
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 17.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 272
About the Author
Author and journalist Jonathan Lyons has spent his professional and personal life exploring the shifting boundaries between East and West. After more than 20 years as an editor and foreign correspondent for Reuters, he is now a researcher at the Global Terrorism Research Centre and a PhD candidate in sociology of religion at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He lives in Washington DC. He has a BA with Honours in Russian and History from Wesleyan university and was a Fellow at Columbia University's Harriman Institute of Soviet Studies. He also studied at the Pushkin Institute of Russian language in Moscow.
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