Saladin ─ The Sultan and His Times, 1138-1193

A specialist in the Middle Ages and the Orient, Mohring (history, U. of Bayreuth) points out that Saladin is the best known medieval Muslim ruler in Europe, and he paradoxically enjoyed a very favorable reputation in the Christian West for centuries though he inflicted heavy losses on the Crusader states. Another remarkable characteristic is the great number of works written in Arabic and Latin about him, enough that, perhaps uniquely for a ruler so long ago, it is possible to glimpse his actual personality. A photograph would be asking a little too much. Bachrach (medieval history, U. of New Hampshire) translates Saladin: Der Sultan und seine Zeit, 1138-1193, which was published in 2005 by Verlag C. H. Beck, Munich. Annotation c2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Hannes Mohring is a historian of the Middle Ages and Orientalist scholar at the University of Bayreuth. David S. Bachrach is an assistant professor of medieval history at the University of New Hampshire. Paul M. Cobb is an associate professor of Arabic and Islamic history at the University of Pennsylvania.