Karaite Judaism: A Guide to its History and Literary Sources

Karaite Judaism: A Guide to its History and Literary Sources, edited by Meira Polliack, is a substantial scholarly reference volume on the Karaite movement, the medieval and continuing Jewish tradition that rejects rabbinic Oral Law in favor of direct scriptural interpretation, gathering essays from specialists in Karaite history, exegesis and law. Its authority reflects Polliack's own standing as a leading scholar of Karaite studies and the volume's broad coverage of a tradition that has historically received far less scholarly attention than rabbinic Judaism. As an academic reference aimed at establishing the field's historical and textual foundations, it is strongest on Karaism's classical and medieval periods, and readers interested specifically in contemporary Karaite communities should look to more recent, narrowly focused ethnographic work alongside it.