It was during this time of "neighbourhood arrest", with mortar shells and missiles falling around, and daily reverberating chants of "Death to America" that he wrote his Arabs.

[19] The books opens in the foreword by asking a central question that would form the main theme of its thesis, namely about the causes of Arab unity and disunity.

[28] In a review published in The Guardian, Ian Black spoke favorably of the book, citing different passages that span the centuries of Arab history.

He was particularly fascinated by the author's ability to combine "deep learning with penetrating insights delivered with dazzling turns of phrase and illuminating comparisons".

"[T]he bulk of this astounding book portrays grand personalities, national journeys and thrilling adventures, all seen through the prism of Arabic language," he added.

He added that Mackintosh-Smith is a "worthy successor" to historians Philip Hitti, Albert Hourani and Eugene Rogan who wrote influential works about Arab history.

Irwin found the author's coverage of the Pre-Islamic era unusual, and his focus on the influence of ancient Arab Kingdoms over Islam as "careful and original".

He added: Robert Irwin also wrote for The Times Literary Supplement where he listed the book as his favorite for 2019 and described it as "exhilarating" despite its melancholic conclusions.

[35] The Penang Institute, which hosted an event for the author, said the book was "widely acknowledged to be the best single-volume history of the Arabs in the English language".

[43] Jamil Sherif of Salaam hailed the book as a "masterpiece of historical explanation" and "monumental work of scholarship and erudition", emphasizing the author's sense of humour and ability to link past and present.

[48] In the Financial Times, Malise Ruthven said the book was "an entertaining and absorbing history that manages to be far-reaching and erudite yet conversational in style".

[49] Eric Ormsby reviewed the book favorably for The Wall Street Journal, praising it for extending coverage of Arab history to pre-Islamic era, which he found original.

Ormsby went on to praise the style of the author, noting his ability to make sense of otherwise complex and confusing events through the use of dramatic anecdotes and concepts such as asabiyyah and wheel of fire.

[51] In The American Conservative, John C. McKay hailed the book as a "magisterial survey" and a "major tour de force", and praised the author's "scholarly erudition and limpid prose [that] elucidates and illuminates an immensely difficult, nuanced, and complex subject with absolute brilliance".

Noting the difficult circumstances in which it was written, he compared Mackintosh-Smith to Fernand Braudel, who wrote The Mediterranean during World War II.

[54] In the Claremont Review of Books, Barnaby Crowcroft described Mackintosh-Smith as "the most interesting author to grapple with his subject matter in a generation", partly due to his resistance to romantic notions of Arab unity.

[56] In a review for Commonweal, Patrick Ryan praised the book for being "extraordinarily learned and perceptive", and named the author "the Ibn Battutah of the twenty-first century".

He explained: He added that this style of the book led to some inevitable omissions, citing several topics from pre-Islamic history such as Philip the Arab, Zenobia, Ghassanids and Nabataeans.

He had expected this era to receive more attention, especially since the author noted that Muhammad's message lay in the middle, not at the beginning of Arab history.

He also criticized the book for being narrow, citing its omission of wider context, inadequate coverage of the Copts, and its lack of any mention of some important works on Arabic history and literature.

Rosen characterized the author's interest in language as being closer to that of a lexicographer rather than a sociolinguist, citing his frequent use of peculiar words compared to the rarity of showing the "actual use of Arabic in social and political life".

Meziane was particularly fascinated by the links the author makes between past and present in order to explain recent affairs, such as the Arab Spring.

[62] Writing for Al Jazeera, Omran Abdulla praised the book's "enrichment of the picture with fascinating details", noting the author's intimate knowledge and deep passion for Sanaa, the capital city of Yemen where he had lived for over three decades.

He thought the author ignored the substantial differences between bandits and "Islamic civilizational expansion" that carried knowledge and principles of administration to conquered areas, without engaging in pillaging of local inhabitants.

Referrering to the task of writing the history of such a vast area over 3,000 years as Herculean, Parker nevertheless said the author was successful, because his analysis focused on the factors of geography, culture and, above all, language.

He was fascinated by the "breathtaking" style of the author, agreeing with The New York Times description of it: "Tim Mackintosh-Smith seems incapable of writing a dull sentence".

The translated poems earned a special mention by Hijjawi, who found them very pleasant to read with their orderly qaafiyaa, and he praised their complete faithfullness to the original meaning, citing the author's use of the 40-volume Arabic dictionary Taj al-Arus.

The humorous style, love for Arabic language and heartfelt criticisms were hailed as distinct features, putting the author above any accusation of arrogant Orientalism, as characterized by Edward Said.

[64] In a review for Asharq Al-Awsat, Maher Farid expressed his delight that a western researcher would have such deep knowledge of Arabic literature, citing some poems by Imru' al-Qais, Abu Tammam and Al-Ma'arri.

Farid added: In another review for Arabs in Asharq Al-Awsat, Samir Attallah described it as a fascinating book that manages to surpass those of Philip Hitti and Albert Hourani in some aspects.