Reza Aslan, No God but God (2005). A well-written and popular history of Islam by an Iranian immigrant to the United States.

Fred M. Donner, Muhammad and the Believers (2010). An innovative account of the first century of Islam by a leading scholar of that era.

Richard Eaton, Islamic History as Global History (1990). A short account by a major scholar that examines Islam in a global framework.

John Esposito, ed., The Oxford History of Islam (1999). Up-to-date essays on various periods and themes in Islamic history. Beautifully illustrated.

Francis Robinson, ed., Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic World (1996). A series of essays by major scholars, with lovely pictures and maps.

Judith Tucker, Gender and Islamic History (1994). A brief overview of the changing lives of Islamic women.

The Man Who Walked across the World, http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/man-who-walked-across-world/. A documentary travelogue tracing the many journeys of Ibn Battuta.

“Religions: Islam,” http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/. A BBC Web site providing information about all aspects of Islamic life and culture.