Sources on cosmography are frequently associated with Greek thinkers such as Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Strabo, and Ptolemy. Often overlooked are the Arabic cosmographers. A. F. Mehren attempted to redress that imbalance by translating the work of Shams ed-Din abu-Abdullah Muhammad al-Dimashqi (1256-1327) into French. A fine example of Arabic science, the original Arabic text has long been used by geographers but has been seldom translated or made accessible to scholars lacking training in Arabic. This historical text, itself also seldom found, will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone seriously interested in the history of how we understand our world.

August Ferdinand Michael van Mehren (1822-1907) was a noted Orientalist. He taught at the University of Copenhagen.