In order to understand the present day dimensions of mutual perceptions between Christians and Muslims, the history of relations must be recovered and accurately mapped. This work is currently being undertaken in an international project led by David Thomas, Professor Emeritus of the University of Birmingham. Its outcome is the series Christian-Muslim Relations: a Bibliographical History.
Each volume contains detailed descriptions and assessments of texts written by the one community about or against the other, together with introductory and contextual essays, and an index, providing an important tool for future research. The first phase, Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History 1 (CMR1), covers the crucial period 600 to 1500 (volumes 1-5). The second phase (“CMR1900”), which will take the project up to the end of the First World War, is a work in progress. So far 21 volumes of CMR have been published.
'Interest in Christian Arabic has increased compared to a few decades ago, yet it still involves very few people compared to, say, the study of the Middle Ages in the West. Brill's CMR series appears to be the biggest recent step forward by far. It is actually a fantastic read, full of thorough and surprising information. When I look up something in it, I usually find myself staying to read additional entries'.