This book consists of a collection of essays by H.A.R Gibb that have been collected by Stanford J Shaw (he who wrote probably the best books on Ottoman and modern Turkish history you can find) The chapters concern issues such as the early history of Islam, Saladin, the armies of Saladin, the development of Sufism and Islamic law and Arabic literature.

This has got to be one of the best studies of Islamic history you can find (it was put together specifically for the American reader by the way) He righly points out the multi national forces of Saladin (who were made up mostly of Turkomans and Kurds unlike the popular belief that they were 'Arabs') His essay on Sufism is exellent as his essay on the development of Arab literature.

This has got to be a 'must buy' for any student of Islamic studies at University. Then again, if you are buying anything written by Gibb you know you cant go wrong.