The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium

The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World

For the first time in English, a catalog of the world through fourteenth-century Arab eyesâ€”a kind of Schottâ€™s Miscellany for the Islamic Golden Age
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An astonishing record of the knowledge of a civilization, The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition catalogs everything known to exist from the perspective of a fourteenth-century Egyptian scholar and litterateur. More than 9,000 pages and thirty volumesâ€”here abridged to one volume, and translated into English for the first timeâ€”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 oneâ€™s breath, the deliciousness of cheese made from buffalo milk, and the nesting habits of flamingos.
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Similar works by Western authors, including Plinyâ€™s Natural History and Diderotâ€™sÂ EncyclopÃ©die,Â have been available in English for centuries. This groundbreaking translation of a remarkable Arabic textâ€”expertly abridged and annotatedâ€”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 treasuredâ€”a true monument of erudition.

For 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.
Country USA
Brand Penguin
Manufacturer Penguin Classics
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780143107484
Color Black
ReleaseDate 2016-08-30
UnitCount 1
Format Abridged
EANs 9780143107484

Country	USA
Brand	Penguin
Manufacturer	Penguin Classics
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780143107484
Color	Black
ReleaseDate	2016-08-30
UnitCount	1
Format	Abridged
EANs	9780143107484

The Ultimate Ambition in the Arts of Erudition: A Compendium of Knowledge from the Classical Islamic World

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