Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0-465-00498-9 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 26 November, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: The story of the assassins and their effect on modern life.
Comment: Bernard Lewis is a prominent Middle East historian whose current works focus on the causes and use of terrorism in this area. This is one of his first books and he details the rise of the assassins in the Shiite area of Syria and Iran. The Assassins practiced political terror, since they were a small sect which held little ground. The use of assassination gave them advantages over their larger rivals, since it instilled fear into the top polical level of their rivals. These rivals wanted to control the Ismaili territories, but could not due to their location and the threat which assassination posed.
Lewis's book is overly scholarly and the readability of this short book is difficult. Many complex Islamic names also hinder the reader's ability to comprehend some of this material. However, the book gives the story of the rise of the assassins and the history of the religion of the Ismailis and the Aga Khan.
This book is beneficial to the history of the Middle East.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent and Timely History
Comment: Bernard Lewis remains one of the most respected Middle Eastern historians and is a name more Americans should be familiar with. "The Assassins" was originally published in 1967. This edition has been updated slightly but most of the text is unchanged. The work represents some of the best scholarly efforts of Professor Lewis, especially his work with original historical sources. Some readers may be disappointed with this book however, in that they may be looking for conncections with modern Islamic terrorism. Those connections are elusive. This is a history of sectarian divisions within Islam, particulary certain Ismaili sects of Shi'i Islam. Foremost among those divisions was a sect known generally as the Assassins (do not look for a direct connection between this fascinating religious sect and modern events...there is none). The Assassins began with the sinister Hasn i-Sabbah, and practiced religious and political murder often with the use of certain drugs (hashish for one which may have produced the Persian reference to this group). Oddly enough, most of the targets of the various orders of the Assassins were Sunni Muslims. Christians, such as the Crusaders, were only rarely singled out for their particular arts. As Lewis tells us the Ismailis were generally radical and the Assassins perphaps the most radical sect in Islam. This is a very readible volume, at a very affordable price. Although a scholarly work "The Assassins" is easily accessable to the general reader with an interest in the Middle East. As an undergraduate in college, this writer nearly wore out the single volume in the university library and is very happy to have a new edition in the bookshelf.
Rating: 4
Summary: Scholarly and thought provoking
Comment: This new edition has come out in the wake of the Sept 11 bombings and and upsurge in interest in Bernard Lewis's works. Those expecting a "glossy," ripped-from-the-headlines history might be put off by this book... it is a slightly updated reprinting of his classic history written a half-century ago. While it may not be a popular coffee table book, it is a throrough, highly informed work on the group that gave its name to political murder. To be honest, I got much more out of it the second time I read through it... some of the names, medieval politics, and Islamic debates left me feeling lost. The second time through, more things fell into place and I appreciated the details a great deal more. Also, I greatly appreciated his incredible knowlege of the subject and the region as a whole, as well as his keen insights into Islamic thinking. Clearly, Lewis is one of the most important Middle East scholars in a long time. Those looking for a scholarly, de-mystifying, and on its own terms readable work on the Assassins will like this book. If you're simply curious about this mysterious group, you may get more out of this volume if you first read one of Lewis's broader introductions to Islam... click on the authors name and several good choices will show up.
 |
Title: The Templars and the Assassins: The Militia of Heaven by James Wasserman ISBN: 089281859X Publisher: Inner Traditions Intl Ltd Pub. Date: 15 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
 |
Title: What Went Wrong? : The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0060516054 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 07 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0679642811 Publisher: Modern Library Pub. Date: 25 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
 |
Title: The Muslim Discovery of Europe by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0393321657 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: October, 2001 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry into Conflict and Prejudice by Bernard Lewis ISBN: 0393318397 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: May, 1999 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
