Rating: 
Summary: Trying.................
Review: I finish most books in a week. Even the most punishing efforts I can conclude within a fortnight. Hourani's History of the Arab Peoples took me two months. This extended duration was not caused by any inability to fully understand it's content, but for the simple fact that I continually avoided picking it up.The unconscionable tragedy of September 11th inspired me to select this book from my shelf, purchased long before, to learn something more of the lands and events from which the terrorists sprung. History of the Arab Peoples is, in actuality, two books. The first half of the work deals not so much with the Arab peoples, but with the institution of Islam. Arab Christians and Jews receive short shrift as do any major historical event by Western reckoning. You will find scant reference of the Crusades, of Jerusalem, of colonial strife. Instead, we learn not what the Arab Peoples did, but the boundary of Islam within which they did it. Truly, the first 250+ pages would be better entitled A History of Islam. The latter half of the book consists mainly of the 19th century forward and it is here that Hourani finally uncouples, to whatever extent possible, the Arab peoples from Islam. Though he pays scant attention to events and prefers mainly to discuss socio-economic factors, the book manages to vault from mind numbing to something passably interesting. All things considered, I didn't enjoy this book. Still, my disappointment stems not from what the book is, but rather from what the book is not. It is not a History of the Arab Peoples - a true history would predate Muhammad - but an in depth tour of Islam followed closely by a treatise on modern-day Arabic society. Do not read this book if a narrative Arabic history is what you seek.
Rating:
Summary: A dreary read in many sections
Review: I found the book interesting enough in many places but there were several parts that were required perseverance to get through. For me the recurring dreary sections fell into two categories: 1. the portions where he describes the views of "thinkers" in various countries at various times. Long, complex views or hypothesizes are presented (often on obscure points like sub-sects of 11th century Muslim thinking; sometimes on viewpoints on how society should be run). Having presented the viewpoint, the author moves onto the next topic or next viewpoint. It leaves the reader thinking: why did you bore me with this info without even telling me whether/how it had any practical impact on the society? 2. Long sections on poetry: examples of how it was written, what the people who wrote it were thinking, etc. I admit that some topic may fascinate some. For me, much less would have been better. A book that I found much more interesting was "A History of the Middle East" by Mansfield. While Mansfield's book mostly focuses on the last two hundred years, it shows that similar material can be presented in a much more interesting manner.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting Primer on the Arab Peoples!
Review: I read the negative review of one listed reviewer who said he took two months to read the book. Two Months!!!!! I read it in two days! This book is a very good maybe even better than good book about the Arab peoples. I am a novice at all this history so I still don't firmly comprehend it all, but this book was a great introduction. I can build on the knowledge I gained in this book and read more indepth books and articles later. I highly recommend this book and it may be more comprehensible if you read it faster. I hardly think you have to do it in two days, but two months??????!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: I think this is an excellent book and Mr. Hourani should be given the full credit of writing a master-peace on this complex subject. I do think, however, that the name of the book is a bit misleading and it would have been sufficient to call it "The Arab People" in order not to confuse those who are looking for a day by day description of Arab history. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent overview
Review: If you are looking to understand the basic outline of Arabic Muslim history and cultural development, this is the book for you. Hourani begins his history with the birth of Mohammed and brings up to the near-present. Filled with excellent map, photographs, and illustrations, lucid and concise writing, and astute analyses this book serves as a great introduction to Arabic Muslim history.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Reference Text
Review: If you're looking for an entertaining narrative about Arab history, Hourani's book is not for you. However, if you are a student of any aspect of Arab culture or history, this is an essential reference book. First of all, the history is explained succinctly and readably. It addresses important historical figures and events, as well as broader themes and movements, and is also divided usefully. Second, and most important, the index is AMAZING. It is a text book, and is therefore not to be read all at once. But as a text book, it is one of the best I have ever purchased.
Rating:
Summary: Richly detailed and rewarding
Review: In this single 551 page volume, Hourani is to be applauded for bridging the centuries with an abundance of detail. He covers at many points economics, urban and rural life, trade, culture, leadership, and of course the evolution of Islam and its numerous threads from Sunnism to Sufism. Some of the theological discussions are, as some reviewers have complained, intricate (or filigreed), but I found them fascinating and ultimately rewarding for a greater sense of the forces behind conflicting believers.
To be clear, those looking for the pre-Islamic history of the Arab lands will not find it here, as Hourani says in the preface: "The subject of this book is the history of the Arabic-speaking parts of the Islamic world, from the rise of Islam until the present day." Furthermore, he necessarily expands his subject in order to include the age of the Ottoman rule, and the areas of the Maghrib (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia). While it is a very solid read, it finds continued value as a fine reference and primer for further inquiry.
Rating:
Summary: This is more like it. . .
Review: The best book on the subject in English, and written by an Arab. An excellent alternative to the "information" in books like _Islam Unveiled_ and _The Sword of the Prophet_, it includes a lot of important information they left out (for example, what Al-Ghazali _really_ said and what he _really_ meant).
Rating:
Summary: This is more like it. . .
Review: The best book on the subject in English, and written by an Arab. An excellent alternative to the "information" in books like _Islam Unveiled_ and _The Sword of the Prophet_, it includes a lot of important information they left out (for example, what Al-Ghazali _really_ said and what he _really_ meant).
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and concise
Review: This is a concise introduction to the history of the Arab people. It is fairly easy to read, yet comprehensive; interesting, yet dispassionate. Albert Hourani does an excellent job presenting an overall picture of Arab history and society. I particularly enjoyed how this book considers history as more than a mere collection of events and dates or the conquests of kings. Rather, for every historical period, it attempts to paint a picture of the lives of ordinary people. Thus we learn about education, religion, law, marriage, and other aspects of society. This is a major strength of the book. Naturally, in a book about Arab history, a great deal of emphasis is put on Islamic religion, which is perhaps the most potent force shaping Arab history and culture. In a way therefore this book also offers an excellent introduction to Islam and Islamic history. Nevertheless, I would have liked to see more material about pre-Islamic times. Furthermore, while the title "Arab peoples" acknowledges the fact that most of the modern-day "Arabs" are descended from non-Arabs who at some point adopted Arab language and culture, this point is not made explicit in the text, and the pre-Arab history of these peoples is ignored. Having said that, I admit that it is impossible to include any more information about Arab history in the same number of pages (500), making this book a definite accomplishment. It is an excellent and readable introduction to Arab history, and a lead to other more specialized books (listed in the 27-page bibliography). The index alone reads like a who's who in Arab history.
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