Encyclopaedia Islamica ─ Adab-al-bab to Al-hadi Ashar

Published in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, the projected 16-volume work comprises an abridged translation of the Persian original published by The Centre for the Great Islamic Encyclopaedia. The original work is one of the most comprehensive sources on Islam and the Muslim world, and this English-language endeavor brings the material to a global readership. The alphabetically arranged entries are clearly written, each article beginning with brief descriptions and definitions before further elaboration. This third volume contains a 12-part entry on Imam Alib Abi Talib covering his life and his contributions to Islamic thought and culture. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Wilferd Madelung has made significant contributions to scholarship on mediaeval Islamic movements, including Twelver Shi‘ism, Zaydism and Ismailism. He is a former Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow with The Institute of Ismaili Studies.Farhad Daftary is Associate Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies. He is an authority on Mediaeval Islam and Ismaili studies, consulting Editor of Encyclopaedia Iranica, and sits on the Advisory Board of the Encyclopaedia of Islam (3rd edition).