Koran: A Very Short Introduction »

Michael Cook is Cleveland E. Dodge Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University.

The Koran has constituted a remarkably resilient core of identity and continuity for a religious tradition that is now in its fifteenth century. In this Very Short Introduction, Michael Cook provides a lucid and direct account of the significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in that of traditional Islam. He gives vivid accounts of its role in Muslim civilization, illustrates the diversity of interpretations championed by traditional and modern commentators, discusses the processes by which the book took shape, and compares it to other scriptures and classics of the historic cultures of Eurasia.

Times Literary Supplement - Irwin

Michael Cook's approach to the Koran is intelligent, incisive and original. I would guess that even specialists would learn something...Cook, a professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University, starts by putting himself on a level with readers who know nothing whatsoever about the contents of the Koran or the context of its revelation...