The Koran. Translatedinto English by George Sale. (Warne. 10s. net,)—Sale's
translation first appeared in 1134. Sir Edward Denison Ross, in a preface to this comely reprint, says that Sale's version has not been superseded, and that his " prelimi- nary discourse" on -Mohammed, the Koran, and the early development of Islam " still remains the best introduction in any European language to the study " of Mohammedanism. It seems that Sale derived his knowledge of the Arabic commentators mainly from the annotated translation published by Marracci in 1698, but Sale WAR clearly a brilliant scholar who made the most of his scanty opportunities. He learned Arabic in London, and never left England. He was a lawyer by profession and did much work for the Society for Promoting Christian Know- lege, helping to translate the New Testament into Arabic before he devoted his leisure to the Koran. He died in 1736, at the age of thirty-nine. It is pleasant to think that the version by which he is remembered has stood the test of time.
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