Wansbrough (1928-2002), a scholar of Semitic studies at London University, discusses Muslim literature beyond the Qur'an and the exegetical tradition associated with it. He analyzes early forms--third/ninth to fourth/tenth centuries--of traditional lives of the prophet Muhammad, of legal texts, of polemical and apologetic works, and of theological arguments. His study was originally published in 1978 by Oxford University Press as a companion to his 1977 Quranic Studies. It is not indexed. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)