THE VENTURE OF ISLAM (3-VOL)

The Venture of Islam has been honored as a magisterial work of the mind since its publication in early 1975. In this three-volume study, illustrated with charts and maps, Hodgson traces and interprets the historical development of Islamic civilization from before the birth of Muhammad (PBUH) to the middle of the twentieth century. This work grew out of the famous course on Islamic civilization that Hodgson created and taught for many years at the University of Chicago.

This is a nonpareil work, not only because of its command of its subject but also because it demonstrates how, ideally, history should be written.