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Also by Tom Holland:

In the Shadow of the Sword, May 2012
Hardcover / e-Book

IN THE SHADOW OF THE SWORD
By: Tom Holland

The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire [

Doubleday
May 2012
On Sale: May 15, 2012
544 pages
ISBN: 0385531354
EAN: 9780385531351
Kindle: B005IEGKMA
Hardcover / e-Book
Add to Wish List

Non-Fiction History | Non-Fiction Religion

The acclaimed author of Rubicon and other superb works of popular history now produces a thrillingly panoramic (and incredibly timely) account of the rise of Islam.

No less significant than the collapse of the Roman Republic or the Persian invasion of Greece, the evolution of the Arab empire is one of the supreme narratives of ancient history, a story dazzlingly rich in drama, character, and achievement. Just like the Romans, the Arabs came from nowhere to carve out a stupefyingly vast dominion—except that they achieved their conquests not over the course of centuries as the Romans did but in a matter of decades. Just like the Greeks during the Persian wars, they overcame seemingly insuperable odds to emerge triumphant against the greatest empire of the day—not by standing on the defensive, however, but by hurling themselves against all who lay in their path.

Media Buzz

All Things Considered - June 3, 2012