An acclaimed scholar-folklorist Dundes analyzes this ancient charter book [Qur'an] with precision and academic insight. Concise yet thorough, this work includes numerous references as well as an exceptional bibliography and index. Highly recommended.

Library Journal

Anyone who has ever had occasion to consult a concordance of the Qur'an will not have failed to notice the high degree to which phrases and sentences are repeated, often verbatim, throughout the holy text. Arguing that such repetitions are 'formulas,' and applying Milman Parry and Albert B. Lord's oral-formulaic theory to the Qur'an, Professor Alan Dundes has broken new ground with his folkloristic approach to that book. The issue will surely be debated for many years to come.

James T. Monroe, University of California, Berkeley