Orientalism (Penguin Modern Classics) Paperback – 28 August 2003

Used this book to know more about the effects of Western imperialism and racism..and the establishment of Orientalism as a canonical text of cultural and linguistic studies.

This edition doesn't include the 2003 preface despite it saying so in the cover.

A bit study oriented one rather than for a curious reader like me.

It looks like it has been in the storage for decades. Very old and smells dingy

Value for money

The font size is so small it's almost illegible to read. Being of Penguin publication such product is not expected. I hope they would do something for the light and extremely small print.

Anyone can study history but to understand it through the perspective of the historian's conception is what Edward said's orientalism focuses on.

Really helpful. Try reading it twice for better understanding.

This book was widely praised when first published, but I found it tough going. The author's style is orotund in the extreme, with obscure vocabulary, paragraph-long sentences, and page-long paragraphs. He never uses a full stop where he thinks he can get away with semicolon, or a semicolon where he thinks he can get away with a comma. Until I got used to his rhythm, and managed to insert the necessary punctuation in my head, I found myself re-reading every other sentence, just to make sense of them.As for its central thesis, about the condescending, imperialist and racist nature of orientalism - well, yes. Points well made, but did they really need to be made at such length? Perhaps at the time they did, and the author's range and grasp is impressive, but it all seems rather obvious now.

This book has altered, for the better I think, how I view other people and importantly other cultures. If you are serious about understanding then this is a book for you. We all tend to judge, I did but not know, other people, other cultures according to our own beliefs and ideas, our own perspective. This book has taught me to review my thinking: just because we do something one way it does not mean others who do it differently are wrong. This book for me is the top of the hit parade concerning my education. It's a difficult read, well not actually difficult, but its certainly not a time filler. It's a serious book to be read consciously, and carefully considered. You must read it.

Said is an excellent scholar who understands the both the West and East. He clearly deciphers the Western hatred and scepticism towards the East and mainly towards Islam. This work highlights how so called Western scholars demeaned and disrespected the Eastern civilisation. This work shows the Western hatred for the East and there are a plentiful examples of such works in this book.Well worth reading.

This book is a concise beautifully written account of both the origins and the deficiencies in the field of 'Orientalism'. Said sites numerous sources and includes a generous amount of exerts to back up every point he makes which could make for some very interesting future reads if your that way inclined. I really love this book and the price was also great. Edward W.Said has a factual and at times humorously satirical execution which made the book extremely fun to read. I found myself chuckling at times as Said can be very deliberately funny and always is with elegance and poise. Great book for anyone interested in this topic or just matters of history and the factors which have shaped society. This was delivered speedily and in perfect condition. :)

Said's Orientalism is a masterpiece. It will help you understand current topics such as "culture clash", "supremacism", "post-colonialism". Moreover, Said's thesis will be valid and key in understanding current tensions in the world and the resulting coming events.