Islamic Cultures, Islamic Contexts Essays in Honor of Professor Patricia Crone By Behnam Sadeghi, Asad Q. Ahmed, Adam Silverstein, and Robert Hoyland, eds. (Leiden: Brill, 2015. 631 pages.)

Abstract

This book is an important addition to the by-now rich collection of edited volumes
and monographs published by Brill under the heading “Islamic History
and Civilization: Studies and Texts.” It contains twenty-two essays written by
leading scholars, historians, and philologists in honor of their late colleague and teacher Patricia Crone (professor of Islamic history, Institute for Advanced
Study), who passed away a few months after the publication of the volume.
For students of Islam, Crone needs no introduction. Her scholarship has
marked the field through its erudition as well as its distinctive boldness and
controversial nature that, at times, drew virulent criticism. Perceived by some
as arrogant and hasty, by others as incisive and daring, she was not one to
mince words. This volume, starting with an intimate “memoir” by Judith Herrin
and concluding with an appreciative scholarly review by Chase Robinson,
tends to overlook Crone’s divisive personality and does much to present her
as an ideal academic and mentor. She was, as the editors lyrically phrase it, a
“seeker and lover of truth.” ...