The works reprinted in this two-volume collection cover the length of Robertson's career, from his student days in 1737 to his closing years in 1789, and show his intellectual and stylistic evolution. Part One contains his lesser known writings and speeches. Subjects explored range from Greek translation to architectural history to university fund-raising to geological speculation to church politics. Part Two consists of the earliest biographical commentaries on Robertson's life, written by five men who knew him personally. Together these items reveal details of Robertson's life and career with the aim of giving the reader a wider picture of Robertson's character and career.

Originally published in 1885, this book by William Robertson Smith examines the history of marriage and kinship relations within tribal groups in Arabia at the beginning of Islam. The text explains the intricate links of heredity and dependence among various groups based on male descent, as well as taking an interesting look at the practice of polyandry in various groups. Highly influential in its own day as well as later, this book will be of use to anyone interested in anthropology and the state of Arabic tribal groups in the time of Mohammed.

Julius Wellhausen (1844 1918) first published this work in German in 1878. Reissued here is the 1885 English translation of a revised 1883 version. Intended as a multi-volume work, this first book now stands as a self-contained work. A biblical scholar and orientalist, Wellhausen was professor of theology at Greifswald (until resigning for reasons of conscience) and then professor at Halle, Marburg and Gottingen. An early exponent of scientific philology, he placed the Pentateuch in a historical-social context, setting aside theological traditions. In this work, he sets out his method and argues that the Pentateuch is a synthesis of four independent narratives. He then examines the history of worship, sacrifice, sacred feasts, priests, and the law in ancient Israel. Wellhausen is a central figure in modern biblical studies, his theory dominated scholarship for a century, and his pioneering work remains of great interest in the field."