In 1143 Robert of Ketton produced the first Latin translation of the Qur’an. This translation, extant in 24 manuscripts, was one of the main ways in which Latin European readers had access to the Muslim holy book. Yet it was not the only means of transmission of Quranic stories and concepts to the Latin world: there were other medieval translations into Latin of the Qur’an and of Christian polemical texts composed in Arabic which transmitted elements of the Qur’an (often in a polemical mode). The essays in this volume examine the range of medieval Latin transmission of the Qur’an and reaction to the Qur’an by concentrating on the manuscript traditions of medieval Qur’an translations and anti-Islamic polemics in Latin. We see how the Arabic text was transmitted and studied in Medieval Europe. We examine the strategies of translators who struggled to find a proper vocabulary and syntax to render Quranic terms into Latin, at times showing miscomprehensions of the text or willful distortions for polemical purposes. These translations and interpretations by Latin authors working primarily in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Spain were the main sources of information about Islam for European scholars until well into the sixteenth century, when they were printed, reused and commented. This volume presents a key assessment of a crucial chapter in European understandings of Islam.

In 1143 Robert of Ketton produced the first Latin translation of the Qur’an. This translation, extant in 24 manuscripts, was one of the main ways in which Latin European readers had access to the Muslim holy book. Yet it was not the only means of transmission of Quranic stories and concepts to the Latin world: there were other medieval translations into Latin of the Qur’an and of Christian polemical texts composed in Arabic which transmitted elements of the Qur’an (often in a polemical mode). The essays in this volume examine the range of medieval Latin transmission of the Qur’an and reaction to the Qur’an by concentrating on the manuscript traditions of medieval Qur’an translations and anti-Islamic polemics in Latin. We see how the Arabic text was transmitted and studied in Medieval Europe. We examine the strategies of translators who struggled to find a proper vocabulary and syntax to render Quranic terms into Latin, at times showing miscomprehensions of the text or willful distortions for polemical purposes. These translations and interpretations by Latin authors working primarily in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Spain were the main sources of information about Islam for European scholars until well into the sixteenth century, when they were printed, reused and commented. This volume presents a key assessment of a crucial chapter in European understandings of Islam.

In 1143 Robert of Ketton produced the first Latin translation of the Qur'an, an important way in which Latin European readers had access to the Muslim holy book. The translations and interpretations by Latin authors were the main sources of inform

This first volume covers the development of Islam in the period from the birth of Muhammad in C.E. 570 through 1500, during which Islam grew to dominate the area which has come to be known as the Middle East. --

"Dr. Al-Shabab's new book provides a unique view of the nature and scope of translation as interpretation and the approach to be used in dealing with pre-dictionary texts - that is, those which have never been previously translated. The author provides a model for the study of what he calls "the language of translation." The opening chapters deal with six elements of translation, five stages in the process, three differing types and the nature of the translation lagnuage, together with methodological aspects of its study. The final chapters deal with some observations regarding the language of translation and the application of computer analysis. In addition to providing a descriptive frame, Dr. Al-Shabab captures the creative potential of the translation process and pinpoints the centrality of the translator as an agent, a builder of texts. This book is an important contribution to linguistic hermeneuticsd, attempting as it does to explain the success or failure of translation as a human enterprise"--Back cover.

The Royal Historical Society's Annual Bibliography of British and Irish History provides a comprehensive and authoritative survey of books and articles published in a single calendar year. It covers all periods of British anbd Irish history from Roman Britain to the end of the twentieth century, and also includes a section on imperial and commonweatlh history. It is the most complete and up-to-date bibliography of its type, and an indispensable tool for historians.

A bibliography of books and index of articles in periodicals on Islam and the Muslim world. Also includes reviews.