Lindsay (history, Colorado State U.) offers Americans a brief introduction to life from the origins of Islam in seventh-century Arabia to 1300, pivoting on the cosmopolitan capitals of Damascus, Baghdad, and Cairo. He covers warfare and politics, cities, ritual and worship, and curious and entertaining information. This is a paperbound edition of a book first published in 2005, as part of Greenwood Press' Daily Life Through History series. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)