{"product_id":"9780143107484","title":"The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World","description":"\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor\/Contributor(s):\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003eal-Nuwayri, Shihab al-Din; Muhanna, Elias; Muhanna, Elias; Muhanna, Elias; Muhanna, Elias\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePenguin Classics\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDate:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8\/30\/2016\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003ePaperback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"\"\u003eNEW\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor the first time in English, a catalog of the world through fourteenth-century Arab eyes—a kind of \u003ci\u003eSchott’s Miscellany \u003c\/i\u003efor the Islamic Golden Age\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e An astonishing record of the knowledge of a civilization, \u003ci\u003eThe Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition\u003c\/i\u003e catalogs everything known to exist from the perspective of a fourteenth-century Egyptian scholar and litterateur. More than 9,000 pages and thirty volumes—here abridged to one volume, and translated into English for the first time—it contains entries on everything from medieval moon-worshipping cults, sexual aphrodisiacs, and the substance of clouds, to how to get the smell of alcohol off one’s breath, the deliciousness of cheese made from buffalo milk, and the nesting habits of flamingos.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Similar works by Western authors, including Pliny’s \u003ci\u003eNatural History \u003c\/i\u003eand Diderot’s \u003ci\u003eEncyclopédie, \u003c\/i\u003ehave been available in English for centuries. This groundbreaking translation of a remarkable Arabic text—expertly abridged and annotated—offers a look at the world through the highly literary and impressively knowledgeable societies of the classical Islamic world. Meticulously arranged and delightfully eclectic, it is a compendium to be treasured—a true monument of erudition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.","brand":"Penguin Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43380585660671,"sku":"9780143107484","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0452\/0886\/2873\/files\/9780143107484_s600x595.jpg?v=1775581688","url":"https:\/\/massivebookshop.com\/products\/9780143107484","provider":"MASSIVE BOOKSHOP","version":"1.0","type":"link"}