Al-Baladhuri's The Origins of the Islamic State (or History of Muslim Conquests) is one of the most reliable sources on the beginnings of the Islamic Empire. The book begins with the wars of the Prophet Muhammad, followed by accounts of the ridda wars, the conquests of Syria, Armenia, Egypt, the Maghrib, and the occupation of Iraq and Persia. Volume 2 takes up regional synopses of, among others, Northern Media, Azherbaijan, Mosul, Khuzistan, Sijistan, Kabul, and Khorasan. The collection ends with the conquest of As-Sind. Considered an indispensable source on the growth of Islam, this set is written in accessible English understandable to the non-specialist as well as to the trained Arabic scholar. As relevant today as when it first appeared, this set is essential reading for understanding the background to current affairs in the Middle East.

Abu-l Abbas Ahmad ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri was one of the greatest Arabic historians of the ninth century. He may have been of Persian origin as he is said to have been a translator from the Persian. He spent most of his life in Baghdad and its environs. His studies led him to Damascus, Emesa, and Antioch, and in Iraq he studied with such famous historians as al-Mada'ini, Ibn Sa`d, and al-Zubayri. He was a companion of al-Mutawakkil.

Philip Khuri Hitti (1886-1978) was an eminent historian of the Middle East. He graduated from the American University in Beirut in 1908 and received his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he also taught. Later, Hitti taught at Princeton University until he retired in 1954, where he was Professor of Semitic Literature and Chairman of the Department of Oriental Languages. He is the author of numerous works on the Middle East.

Francis Clark Murgotten (1880-1960) received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. He went on to teach at the University of Nevada, where he taught Modern Languages.