A little-known gem came in our mail the other day. I love to subscribe magazines, but because we move so often and it’s expensive to get magazines overseas, I don’t get as many as I’d like. But we do get Saudi Aramco World. Now, I’m not here to discuss Aramco in any way (and I assure you, I’ve heard more stories that you can count about Americans living in Saudi Arabia), nor do I care much about oil drilling in the Gulf. But World is not about Saudi Arabia or oil or Americans living overseas. It’s simply one of the best non-technical publications out there on the Islamic world.

The most recent issue has articles on American Muslims and Naguib Mahfouz (if you’ve ever read any Arabic literature in translation, you’ve probably heard of Naguib Mahfouz). There’s also a handy calendar combining the solar and lunar years, and, my favorite, a summary of events and exhibits related to the Islamic world.

But one of the best things about World is its website. Over 40 years’ worth of the magazines are available online and searchable. You can read about everything from Islamic banking to recipes from Afghanistan to the Hajj to architecture, about places as diverse as Michigan, Tajikistan, and Indonesia. Granted, this isn’t a scholarly magazine, but since most Westerners know little about the Islamic world, it’s a good place to start learning more.

And did I mention it’s free?

I imagine I’ll be writing more about Islam in the future, but I figured I’d start with a less controversial post.