Reviews:
-Where Arab Folklore differs from many other handbooks is in the extraordinary geographical, historical, and generic sweep Dwight Reynolds has orchestrated in writing this guide to Arab folklore covering some 20 countries and multiple regional folk cultures....[T]he handbook includes a very rich list of print and electronic references for the topics covered in each chapter, and an extensive bibliography at the end....Dwight Reynold's Arab Folklore should be of interest to a wide range of readers, from students specializing in folklore, to scholars teaching and doing research on the Middle East in various disciplines, to the average reader who simply wants to know more about the Arab world.
—Middle East Journal
-In this series for students of folklore and general readers, volumes generally focus on a specific genre, but this volume considers a geographical area encompassing some 20 countries, many with multiple cultures. Reynolds (religious studies, U. of California-Santa Barbara) illustrates representative genres with particular works, and discusses themes that pervade the diversity of modern and historical Arab verbal and narrative arts, musical arts, material arts, and customs and traditions.
—SciTech Book News
-This book examines not only the folk narratives of the region but also it's poetry, music, art, customs and traditions. It starts with a brief but detailed overview of the history, religion and people of Arabia. The next section examines Arabia's oral literature, providing many examples of poems and stories, before moving on to look at other aspects of Arabian folklore.
—Storylines