English translations of primary source texts chosen from published and unpublished sources to reflect the chronological, geographical, and linguistic diversity of Islamic societies. Includes folk and oral literature, poetry, geography and travel writing, legal and commercial texts, and many other genres (including texts from Europe, South/Southeast Asia, and other areas).

This set includes over 3,000 titles filmed from the collections of the Harvard University Library and the School of Oriental and African Studies Library at the University of London. It includes works printed between the 16th and the early 20th centuries. Over half of the titles filmed for this collection are printed in English, with the remainder in other Western languages including French, German, Italian, and Spanish. It includes memoirs, travel literature, biographical and bibliographical works, guide books, historical studies, and texts.