This classic study by Norman Daniel explores the political and religious considerations behind distorted western views of Islam, examining Christian-Muslim interaction from medieval times to the modern world. First published over 30 years ago, the message within this great scholarly achievement is more relevant today than ever before. This timeless and accessible book should be of interest to students and for anyone wishing to gain a deeper insight into the complex relations between two of the world’s greatest religions.


Norman Daniel was an eminent historian on the Middle Ages and intercultural relations. Educated at Queen’s College, Oxford, and Edinburgh University, his other books include The Arabs and Medieval Europe; The Cultural Barrier; Heroes and Saracens and Islam: Past Influence and Future Challenges.


'The importance of the late Norman Daniel’s updated study ... is as great now as it was when the first edition was published.' Times Literary Supplement


'Painstakingly thorough. Twenty Years after its first publication, Islam and the West remains the standard work on views of Christian polemicists towards Islam.' Religious Studies Review