[Andalusi Studies] [book] Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain

[David Wacks]

New Book: Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain

ON SALE TODAY in HARDCOVER

Brian A. Catlos, Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain
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(New York: Basic Books, 2018)

• Download the Table of Contents here
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• Request a review copy at: https://www.hachettebookgroup.
com/titles/brian-a-catlos/kingdoms-of-faith/9780465093168/
• Instructrors: Request an examination copy here
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.

A magisterial, myth-dispelling history of Islamic Spain spanning the
millennium between the founding of Islam in the seventh century and the
final expulsion of Spain's Muslims in the seventeenth In Kingdoms of Faith,
award-winning historian Brian A. Catlos rewrites the history of Islamic
Spain from the ground up, evoking the cultural splendor of al-Andalus,
while offering an authoritative new interpretation of the forces that
shaped it. Prior accounts have portrayed Islamic Spain as a paradise of
enlightened tolerance or the site where civilizations clashed. Catlos taps
a wide array of primary sources to paint a more complex portrait, showing
how Muslims, Christians, and Jews together built a sophisticated
civilization that transformed the Western world, even as they waged
relentless war against each other and their coreligionists. Religion was
often the language of conflict, but seldom its cause–a lesson we would do
well to learn in our own time.

Out in hard cover on May 1, 2018.
• Book club distribution: Bookspan
• UK & Commonwealth edition out in July 2018: Hurst & Co.
• Audiobook via Tantor Media(2019)
• German translation in press with Beck Verlag (Frankfurt, 2019)
• Simplified Chinese translation in press with Gingko (Beijing, 2019)
• Complex Chinese translation in press with Owl (Taipei, 2019)

Advance praise:
"This is a lively and interesting new account of medieval Spain and
Portugal which steers away from the usual stereotypes and gives us a new,
and much more nuanced account of relations and interactions between the
various communities and faith groups in the peninsula."
—Hugh Kennedy, professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, and
author of Caliphate: The History of an Idea

"Brian Catlos's Kingdoms of Faith offers an insightful and nuanced view of
Islamic Spain from its origins in the eighth century to the poignant demise
of Islamic presence, as exemplifed by his brilliant reflection on
Cervantes's fictional Morisco character, Ricote. Based upon a masterly
command of sources and the secondary literature, Catlos eschews the
hyperbolic descriptions of Islam in Iberia and the exaggerated claims of
tolerance while, at the same time, showing its many accomplishments and
enduring legacy. It is a brilliant, well-written, and well-researched book
that will force historians to see the Islamic presence in the peninsula in
a new light."
—Teofilo Ruíz, distinguished professor of history, UCLA

"In Kingdoms of Faith, Brian A. Catlos takes us through the kaleidoscopic
interplay of Muslim-Christian relations, bringing clarity to a complex
narrative. His deft analysis illuminates the forces brought to bear in
creating both the myth and reality of life in 'Moorish' Spain."
— Thomas F. Glick, professor of history, emeritus, Boston University, and
author ofIslamic and Christian Spain in the Early Middle Ages

"Mediterranean studies have been shaped in an informative and innovative
way by Brian Catlos’ contributions in the recent decades. His incursion now
into the history of a specific region and polity – that of al-Andalus
(Medieval Iberia under Muslim rule) - brings to the fore the same qualities
that characterize his previous work: an inquisitive and incisive mind that
hones in on perceptive questions, combined with the ability to recreate
past events in an appealing manner for a wide audience."
— Maribel Fierro, Research Professor, Institute of Languages and Cultures
of the Mediterranean, CSIC (Madrid), and editor of The Western Islamic
world: eleventh to eighteenth centuries(The New Cambridge History of Islam,
II)

“Kingdoms of Faith constitutes a fresh and original contribution to the
history of al-Andalus, rooted in the author's profound knowledge of
medieval iberian history. Catlos has managed to produce a very well-written
and lively narrative that provides an up-to-date synthesis of the most
recent developments in this field of history.”
— Alejandro García Sanjuán, professor of History, University of Huelva, and
author of Coexistencia y conflictos : minorías religiosas en la Península
Ibérica durante la Edad Media
‘Spirited, probing and original, this is a key history of Muslim Spain. Its
unique perspective illuminates the vexed issue of religious, political and
cultural interaction between Christians, Jews and Muslims, revealing its
vital importance to the history of modern Europe."
— Elizabeth Drayson, professor of History, University of Cambridge, author
of The Moor's Last Stand

“A brilliant narrative history of the rise and fall of Muslim Spain. This
balanced, lucid, and myth-breaking account sheds light on a unique society
that has too often been demonised, romanticised or simplified.”
— Matthew Carr, author of Blood and Faith: The Purging of Muslim Spain,
1492–1614

Reviews:
"In this new history of Islamic Spain, Al-Andalus, Catlos (The Victors and
the Vanquished) aims to correct misconceptions of the region from its two
common historical narratives... Relying on primary sources and considerable
recent scholarship from Spain, North Africa, and Europe, he succeeds in
producing a lively, engaging history. VERDICT Recommended for readers of
Spanish, Islamic, and European history"
— Library Journal (starred review) (1 May 2018)
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