A selection of histories read in the period covering January to April of 2020.
In God’s Path by Robert G. Hoyland [Oxford University Press, 2015]
The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire
The rapid expansion of Islam is one of history’s most fascinating events and the exploration of its causes is just as fascinating. How could a group of nomadic tribes pour out of the desert and remake the map of late antiquity by conquering lands from the Atlantic to the Hindu Kush in a century? Hoyland’s book is an erudite account that attempts to answer that question, beginning by explaining the context of pre-Islamic Arabia and proceeding through to the fall of the Ummayad caliphate. It’s an excellent work – highly readable while expertly synthesizing the complexity of the period. The assumed premise of the question I pose above, that the Arabs came out of nowhere, is punctured by one of the many interesting insights the book provides. The Arab conquerors did not come out of nowhere – they had been fighting with and against the Byzantines and Sasanians for decades. The conquering armies weren’t filled with the fire of holy war but the pursuit of booty. They used the time-honored tradition of leaving the locals in charge after the fighting was done (as long as tributes were paid). And the conquering wasn’t as easy as posterity makes it seems, while Islam itself didn’t gain a widespread foothold for a long time (partly as a deliberate policy of Muslims, who realized that the more people converted the less revenue they made off of taxing non-Muslim populations). By no means is this a popular history: but it is highly readable while maintaining a high degree of scholarship. Highly recommended for those interested in the era. [4/5]
When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World by Hugh Kennedy [Da Capo Press, 2005]
The Rise and Fall of Islam’s Greatest Dynasty
After reading Robert Hoyland’s account of the rise of Islam, it only made sense to pick up this book to continue the story with the Abbasid caliphate. I had great hopes for this book, having enjoyed Hugh Kennedy’s contributions to the In Our Time radio show. And it covers a legendary time, what some consider a Golden Age of Islam with the centerpiece being the reign of Harun Al-Rashid, the caliph who ruled the Baghdad of the One Thousand and One Nights. Unfortunately, while the book is full of useful insights and information – with one of its strengths being extensive quotations of contemporary sources – it has a muddled structure. Kennedy states in the introduction that his approach is not a standard, sequential political narrative, which is fine. Except he then proceeds to tell a sequential narrative that is interrupted in the middle by non-sequential chapters (including chapters on poetry, palaces, and the harem), which becomes unnecessarily confusing. It’s not often that you encounter a history book where you have to flip ahead instead of back for context. Those interested in this period of history may still find plenty to like but I was disappointed upon finishing the book. [3/5]
The Landmark Arrian edited by James Romm [Anchor Books, 2010]
The Campaigns of Alexander
There are few personages in history that evoke more interest and fascination than Alexander the Great, who, building on his father’s foundation, swept through the Persian empire with incredible swiftness, conquering territory from Anatolia, the Levant, and Egypt through Iran, Bactria, and the Indus valley. As with much of the ancient world, his exploits are well-known but steeped in legend, as no contemporary written sources are in existence. One of the best-regarded accounts from the ancient world is this chronicle of Alexander’s campaign, written by Arrian, a Greek Roman living in the time of Hadrian (four centuries after Alexander), and based on the since-lost somewhat contemporary memoirs of Ptolemy and Aristoboulous. The narrative itself is of great interest to military historians – Arrian himself was a military man, amongst other callings – but for the rest of us can be a bit dry and overwhelming with a procession of names and military formations. Enter the excellent Landmark edition. Heavily annotated to reduce the confusion and provide further context, illustrated throughout with essential maps and diagrams, and bolstered by an excellent introduction and robust series of appendices by Romm and others, this is a tour de force of both accessible history and academic rigor. The Landmark series includes versions of other ancient classics, including those by Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon, and I can only assume they are as excellent as this. [5/5]
Lost Enlightenment by S. Frederick Starr [Princeton University Press, 2013]
Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
This is a wonderful book, endlessly informative and a joy to read, a book that challenged many of my assumptions and filled in what I realized were sizeable gaps in my knowledge. The central assertion of Starr’s account is that the Central Asia of the time was not simply a crossroads civilization that connected the greater cultures along the Silk Road and other trade routes but was in and of itself the source of one of the greatest ages of cultural and intellectual enlightenment in the history of humanity. He is wildly successful in supporting that assertion as he proceeds through the centuries to review the great cultures and intellectual heavyweights that illuminated Central Asia, which Starr defines approximately as the area bounded by northeastern Iran to western China, and from Afghanistan to the steppes of Kazakhstan. It is not primarily a political history (though there is plenty) but a history of culture, arts, and science. There are summaries of the works of influential thinkers, like ibn Sina, al-Biruni, Omar Khayyam, and al-Ghazali (and hosts of others), set in context of broader geopolitics and cultural movements. The scope is broad as he begins by explaining that the Arab Abbasid caliphate was highly influenced, and sometimes ruled from, Khorasan to punching holes in the idea of the Pax Mongolica (while also punching holes in the idea that the Mongols were responsible for the decline of Islamic enlightenment). Such a broad survey will inevitably have faults and inaccuracies that some readers will take issue with but Starr reaches most of his conclusions through objective analysis while giving space to opposing views. Few histories I have read in recent years have been as engaging. [5/5]
Empire’s Crossroads by Carrie Gibson [Grove Press, 2014]
A History of the Caribbean from Columbus to the Present Day
There is no doubt of the value of this history for the general reader as it is a comprehensive and authoritative history of a region that is generally ignored by popular histories. But it is in some ways too ambitious an undertaking for the approach that Gibson takes. She stuffs the book with many details – especially statistics on things like sugar and wood exports – that demonstrate tremendous scholarship but while the scope of research is admirable the text itself becomes far too dry. Many chapters would not be out of place in a textbook. While grappling with such a detailed approach, I often lost the thread of the general threads and insights, especially as the Caribbean is large and diverse and the foreign powers who forged its destinies were many. I will readily admit I almost gave up on this book two-thirds of the way through but after a six-month hiatus plowed on to finish it. I’m certainly glad I did but other readers may find the detailed approach more satisfying. Gibson has another book on the history of Hispanic North America that caught my eye but I’ll set that aside to some far future time when my patience and focus is more honed. [3/5]
Notes:
The dates are the copyright dates for the author, not necessarily the date when the book was published.
My rating system is generally as follows though I sometimes fall back on a gut feeling.
1/5 – Did not finish due to ridiculous or shoddy scholarship. [I sometimes don’t finish histories b/c of my own patience not b/c of scholarship and those I will not include in these reviews]
2/5 – Some value but little to recommend either in content or approach
3/5 – Definite value to the general reader but with flaws such as structure and style. Recommended for those interested in the period covered.
4/5 – High value to the general reader, presented in a clear and understandable manner. Recommended for general consumers of history.
5/5 – Excellent work that was highly engaging and, though not required, would typically result in helping me shift the paradigm in my understanding of history.