The increasing interest in Islam and Islamic culture during the last century and the early part of this century created a demand for an encyclopedic work on Islam. This interest resulted in the "Encyclopedia of Islam", compiled by an international team of scholars and published in three editions in English, German and French. Due to their success, these editions soon went out of print and became collectors' items, and some years later, the publisher decided to start a New Edition. In view of the broad scope of the New Edition and the years needed to complete it, E.J. Brill now makes the First Edition available in a paperback edition to meet the immediate needs of scholars, students of Islam, librarians and others interested in Islam and its rich culture. In more than 9000 alphabetically arranged articles, varying in length from 50 to 50,000 words, the whole range of Islamic culture, from religion and literature to the lives of famous Muslims, is treated by some of the world's most famous 20th-century scholars.