The heretofore unpublished Kitab al-Zina, virtually unknown in western scholarship, is a glossary of important Islamic terms by the 9th/10th-century Ismaili polymath Abu Hatim al-Razi. Some lament that Razi’s historical approach to etymology failed to catch on and that had it done so, the face of Arabic dictionary writing might have been altered for the better. His organization of material was uniquely Ismaili as he took pains to synthesize contradictory information into a harmonious whole. This study examines sections of Razi’s work with a view towards his contributions to the field of grammar and linguistics.

This monograph of the religious life of the late Ottoman Empire covers several significant features of the Turkish religious landscape. Indispensable for historians of Islamic breakaway religions, Alkan’s monograph fills a gap in many accounts of emergent religions.

Victorian perceptions of Islam were not monochrome; some saw beyond stereotypical images, others reproduced them. In this study, the accounts of six Victorians outline the contrast of the two perceptions. It suggests that presuppositions, not encounters per se, determine how we see cultural and religious others.

This book is a case study of British diplomatic activities at several of its consulates in the Ottoman Empire, focusing on the reports files from the stations to the Foreign Office.