A review of The Koran in English : A Biography

Author, Bruce B. Lawrence

Princeton University Press, 2017

Five-star book, worth your money.

“The world is certainly full of shadows.” -Arberry

Let Bruce B. Lawrence shed some light on the Koran’s various English translations. Lawrence has written a valuable study of many of the English translations of the Qur’an (Koran).

I highly recommend it to scholars and laypersons interested in Islam and the Qur’an.  His concise biography of Muhammad and the pivotal moments in his life is one of the best I’ve read in 22 years.

For those interested in determining which English versions of the Qur’an to study deeply and which ones to read with a grain of salt this book is a must-have. For each Koran examined here, Lawrence discusses the authors credentials, intentions, and impact; as well as criticisms and praise for the books.

I met the author of this book on my own book tour in 2017 while I was talking about my chronological modern English interpretation of the Qur’an.  We both realized that we live less than 100 miles from each other and were writing our books at the same time and unfortunately never met.

I wish I had read his drafts as I wrote my own version of the Qur’an in English.

very respectfully,

Jason Criss Howk

Podcast Host | Author | Instructor | Public Speaker

Listen to our Introduction to Islam podcast: “We’re Just Talking About It” 

Read my award winning book: The Quran