In the process of working as Team Leader on the Asian section of the Christian–Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History (CMR) project dealing with the sixteenth century and down to the terminus of the project in 1914, a number of issues emerged that led to this themed issue of ICMR. On the one hand, there are items that may be included in the bibliographical history but about which more can be yet be written. On the other, there is material which in and of itself does not qualify for inclusion in CMR, either as an individual entry or as part of a cluster entry, but which contributes something of interest and relevance for the wider story of Christian–Muslim interaction. Threading through such as these is an observation of underlying context that holds at least some of this material together: that of the engagement of Muslims and Christians taking place at the edges of empires, be that at their own far-flung extremities, or in the context of someone else’s empire.