'The quality of this remarkable book lies as much in its detail as in its sweeping vision' Daily Telegraph 'Armstrong displays all her usual talents: she has an eye for colourful evidence, a wonderful gift for clarity of exposition and an unerring sense of pace and voice and narrative.' Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, Literary Review 'A remarkable book...impressive clarity and drive' Scotland on Sunday

Karen Armstrong spent seven years as a Roman Catholic nun; in 1969 she left and took an Oxford degree, and now teaches at the Leo Baeck College for the Study of Judaism and the Training of Rabbis and Teachers, and is also an honorary member of the Association of Muslim Social Sciences.