Ahmed, Leila. Women and Gender in Islam. 1993. Links modern issues to their historical roots.

Allen, Roger. An Introduction to Arabic Literature. 2000. Excellent treatment of literature from the Qur’an to the Arabian Nights.

Berkey, Jonathan. The Formation of Islam: Religion and Society in the Near East, 600–1800. 2005. A compact but broad-ranging overview.

Bulliet, Richard W. Cotton, Climate, and Camels in Early Islamic Iran. 2009. Links a cooling of the climate to a decline in the Iranian cotton industry and crossbreeding of one- and two-humped camels.

Cohen, Mark R. Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Medieval Ages. 1994. Argues that Jews were less marginalized and persecuted under Islamic states than under Christian states.

Constable, Olivia Remie. Trade and Traders in Muslim Spain: The Commercial Realignment of the Iberian Peninsula, 900–1500. 1994. An excellent study of Muslim trade and commerce, drawing on a wide range of both Western and Arabic sources.

Ettinghausen, Richard, Oleg Grabar, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina. The Art and Architecture of Islam, 650–1250. 2001. A stunningly illustrated overview of Islamic art.

Fletcher, Richard. The Cross and the Crescent. 2003. A balanced, fascinating, and lucidly written short account of the earliest contacts between Christians and Muslims.

Hourani, Albert, and Malise Ruthven. A History of the Arab Peoples, 2d ed. 2003. An important synthesis.

Lewis, Bernard, ed. and trans. Islam from the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople: Religion and Society. 1987. A collection of original sources on many topics.

Long, Pamela O. Technology and Society in the Medieval Centuries: Byzantium, Islam, and the West, 500–1300. 2003. A useful survey of Arab scientific and military developments.

Peters, F. E. The Hajj: The Muslim Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places. 1994. Covers the social, commercial, and political significance of the obligatory Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

Sells, Michael. Approaching the Qur’an. 2007. Includes selected translations set in historical and cultural context.

Stowasser, Barbara Freyer. Women in the Qur’an: Traditions and Interpretation. 1994. A fine analysis of the Qur’an’s statement on women.

Turner, Howard R. Science in Medieval Islam: An Illustrated Introduction. 1995. A fascinating exploration of Islamic science with chapters on astronomy, medicine, geography, alchemy, mathematics, and other topics.