About this product

Product Information

At a time when the United States was involved in two wars against Islamic nations, American-born artist Sandow Birk wanted to understand the Qur'an as it is, and always has been intended: a universal message to humankind. But to do so, he first needed to comprehend what Islam's holiest book meant to an American living in the twenty-first century. Indeed, how has the Qur'an related to us, as Americans, in this life, in this time? In an attempt to answer his own question, Birk embarked on the most ambitious work of his career. Following in the grand traditions of ancient Arabic and Islamic artists, he began hand-transcribing the entire Qur'an as was done in centuries past-abiding by the traditional prescriptions as to the colors of ink, the formatting of the pages, the size of margins and illuminations of page headings and medallions marking verses and passages. He then took each sura and set it against a backdrop from everyday American life, one that reflected his renowned skate-surf ascetic. Even before the first images of what became known as the American Qur'an began appearing in public, in 2009, veteran art critics were concerned about its reception. While Birk wasn't illustrating the Qur'an itself, the pairing of Islam's holiest text with scenes from contemporary American life seemed adventuresome, given the climate of the times. The project, however, was not only welcomed by the Muslim community but also celebrated as an ambitious and valuable undertaking (New York Times). At the same time, many saw it as taking part in an ancient tradition, one that, according to Yale University professor Zareena Grewal, eschewed the irony and satire that have become the knee-jerk impulse of so many Western artists. Now appearing in full for the first time ever, this lavishly designed volume-containing all 114 suras-melds the past with the present, East with the West like nothing before it. The result, hailed by Reza Aslan as a great favor, not only to Muslims, but also to Americans, is one of the most original art books to appear in decades.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Ww Norton & Co
ISBN-13
9781631490187
eBay Product ID (ePID)
216338954

Product Key Features

Book Title
American Qur'an
Author
Not Available
Format
Hardcover
Language
English
Topic
Islam
Publication Year
2015
Number of Pages
464 Pages

Dimensions

Item Height
457mm
Item Width
330mm
Item Weight
5732g

Additional Product Features

Country/Region of Manufacture
United States

Best Selling in Books

See all

Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Books

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest (Paperback, 2020)
5.0 out of 5 stars based on 6 product ratings
AU $21.98 New
AU $15.39 Used
The Concise 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene (Paperback, 2002)
4.5 out of 5 stars based on 21 product ratings
AU $21.51 New
---- Used
Atomic Habits: the life-changing million-copy #1 bestseller by James Clear (Paperback, 2018)
4.8 out of 5 stars based on 25 product ratings
AU $18.90 New
AU $8.95 Used
Become What You Are: Expanded Edition by Alan W. Watts (Paperback, 2003)
5.0 out of 5 stars based on 2 product ratings
AU $32.51 New
---- Used
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Paperback, 2000)
5.0 out of 5 stars based on 6 product ratings
AU $59.38 New
---- Used
First Day by Andrew Daddo (Paperback, 2014)
No ratings or reviews yet.
AU $10.00 New
AU $6.29 Used

Save on Books

Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Books

The Orthodox Study Bible, Hardcover: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's Worl
AU $63.30
Trending at AU $65.12
NEW Bluey: My Mum is the Best By Bluey (Hardcover) Picture Book FREE Shipping
AU $11.95
Trending at AU $15.72
The 2023 Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer Cookbook: 1000 Days Simple, Delicious & Low C
AU $18.48
Trending at AU $19.14
Lonely Planet Vietnam | Paperback Book | NEW AU FREE SHIPPING AU
AU $27.88
Trending at AU $28.29
The Complete Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners 2023: 2000 Days of Quick,
AU $18.83
Trending at AU $19.39
Animal Farm
AU $12.34
Trending at AU $13.51

Shop by category

American Qur'an (Hardcover, 2015)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

Dimensions

Additional Product Features

Best Selling in Books

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest (Paperback, 2020)

The Concise 48 Laws Of Power by Robert Greene (Paperback, 2002)

Atomic Habits: the life-changing million-copy #1 bestseller by James Clear (Paperback, 2018)

Become What You Are: Expanded Edition by Alan W. Watts (Paperback, 2003)

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Paperback, 2000)

First Day by Andrew Daddo (Paperback, 2014)

Save on Books

The Orthodox Study Bible, Hardcover: Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today's Worl

NEW Bluey: My Mum is the Best By Bluey (Hardcover) Picture Book FREE Shipping

The 2023 Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer Cookbook: 1000 Days Simple, Delicious & Low C

Lonely Planet Vietnam | Paperback Book | NEW AU FREE SHIPPING AU

The Complete Mediterranean Diet Cookbook for Beginners 2023: 2000 Days of Quick,

Animal Farm

You may also like

Native Americans Non-Fiction Hardcover Books

North American Hardcover Antiquarian & Collectable Books

Non-Fiction American History Hardcover Books

African Americans Non-Fiction Hardcover Books

American Revolution Non-Fiction Hardcover Books

Illustrated Hardcover North American Antiquarian & Collectable Books