The thirteen, previously unpublished Arabic letters held in the Austrian National Library, Vienna, and presented in this volume provide broad insights into the social and economic history of Egypt in the eighth to the tenth centuries. Among other things, they reveal the strong negotiating position of wet nurses and describe a farmer's escape to the capital al-Fus, a violent incident in a village, and a boycott by Christians.

Andreas Kaplony, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.