A review by caesarbach
Islamic Civilization in Thirty Lives: The First 1,000 Years by Chase F. Robinson

4.0

It's hard to find a good survey of "Islamic" history (even that term has so many layers to it and potential pitfalls within it), and I feel like Robinson produced a pretty accessible, solid introduction to the history of Islamic empires up until the early modern period. When teaching Middle East history courses, or History of the Islamic[ate] world sources, it's always dicey finding a textbook but this is a solid option that I'd use again, since it demonstrates history through the exploration of different personages without endorsing a Great Man Theory of history. The images and paper are top notch quality as well - beautiful selection of manuscripts and miniatures that he included.