When originally published in 1890, this work revealed for the first time, in collected form, the wealth of literary, traditional and historical writings produced by Arabic authors, in a text readily understood by the general reader. The passage of years has done little to erode the intrinsic value of the book, and indeed the added historical perspective lends a new dimension to it. Those with an interest in the development of Arabic literature, and in the figures that shaped Islamic thought and writings, will welcome the republication of this work in the facsimile edition. Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot (1833-1901), historian and compiler of works and oriental themes, revived the Oriental Translation Fund (1891) which undertook the translation of many Arabic works into English.