The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan (Paperback)
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The Muqaddimah by Ibn Khaldun — the 14th-century classic on how history works
The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History by Ibn Khaldun (Princeton Classics, Abridged)
Reviewed by the WhyToBuyThis team · Updated September 2026 · How we choose
Perfect for
- Serious history readers
- Ideas behind history
- Islamic intellectual tradition
- Under $30
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Price: $14.27
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- Great gift ideaChosen for real-world gifting
- Hand-pickedCurated, not scraped
- Honest reviewThe catch, not just the hype
Why this gift works
The Muqaddimah is Ibn Khaldun's 14th-century introduction to history, which Princeton describes as laying the groundwork for the philosophy of history, sociology, ethnography and economics. This Princeton Classics paperback is the single-volume abridgement of Franz Rosenthal's translation, edited by N. J. Dawood, with a new introduction by Bruce B. Lawrence. It runs to 512 pages.
It is the book for a history buff who wants to go beyond events to ideas: why dynasties rise and fall, how societies hold together, and how a historian should weigh evidence. Written six centuries ago, it still reads as strikingly modern in places.
Who is this gift for?
Great for
- A reader of big ideas
- A student of sociology or economics
- Someone interested in Islamic scholarship
Think twice if
- They want a page-turner
- They prefer the full three-volume edition
The catch
It is an abridgement of a much longer work, it is a dense treatise rather than a story, and it reflects the views of its own time.
Skip for someone who wants narrative history or light reading.
Key specs
| Author | Ibn Khaldun |
|---|---|
| Translator | Franz Rosenthal; abridged and edited by N. J. Dawood |
| Introduction | Bruce B. Lawrence |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press (Princeton Classics), 2015 |
| Format | Paperback, 512 pages |
| ISBN | 0691166285 / 9780691166285 |
Worth knowing before you buy
- Rosenthal's complete translation fills three volumes.
- This edition was published in 2015.
Why we like it
- A true classic of historical thought
- Respected translation
- New introduction for modern readers
- Affordable paperback
What to look for in a classic history text
- Translation. A respected translation matters as much as the original.
- Abridged or complete. Abridged editions are easier to read; complete ones suit scholars.
- Introduction. A modern introduction gives helpful context.
Questions people ask
Ibn Khaldun, the 14th-century historian and scholar.
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