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The World of Ibn Ṭufayl: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Ḥayy Ibn Yaqẓān, edited by Lawrence I. Conrad, Leyden, Brill, 1996."The World of Ibn ?ufayl" consists of ten essays by scholars in different fields in Arab-Islamic studies on Ibn ?ufayl's "?ayy ibn Yaq n," one of the most extraordinary works of medieval Arabic literature, and a text with important dimensions in social and intellectual history, literature, mysticism, philosophy, medicine and science. Most of the essays were presented at a groundbreaking conference at the Wellcome Institute in London, which marked the first attempt at a critical assessment of "any" medieval Arabic text by drawing together scholars from widely varying fields. The studies cast light on numerous aspects of social and intellectual life in North Africa and Spain in medieval Islamic times, and explore important aspects of the textual intercommunication between author and audience.&#160;﻿