Book in Mamluk Egypt and Syria (1250-1517)

Doris Behrens-Abouseif is Professor (emerita), SOAS, University of London. From 2000 to 2014 she held the Nasser D. Khalili Chair of Islamic Art and Archaeology at SOAS. Her list of publications covers a wide range of subjects from the early period to the 19th century with focus on Egypt and Syria: history of Islamic architecture and urbanism, cultural history, concepts of aesthetics, material culture and the decorative arts.

• AcknowledgmentsFiguresNote to the ReaderIntroduction1 The Legacy1 The Classical Heritage2 The Fatimid and Ayyubid Legacies2 Mamluk Libraries1 Patronage of the Mamluk Book2 A Palace Library?3 The Libraries of Religious Institutions4 The Librarians in Religious Institutions3 Private Libraries and Endowments4 Book Circulation and Storage1 Borrowing Practices2 The Size of Libraries3 The Size of Books4 The Physical Setting5 The Market1 Location and Environment2 Dealers and Publishers3 Value, Prices, and Fees6 The Mamluk Scribe: Background and Formation1 Terminology and Definition2 Writing and Copying3 From Oral to Written Books and Back4 Books from the Barracks7 The Mamluk Master Calligraphers1 The Art and Practice of Calligraphy2 Teaching Writing and Calligraphy3 The Social and Cultural Contexts4 Calligraphers and Craftsmen5 Calligraphers and the Aristocracy8 The Chain of Mamluk Calligraphers1 The Syrian School2 The Egyptian SchoolEpilogueBibliographyIndex

"The Book in Mamluk Egypt and Syria is highly informative and makes use of all the available information, clearly a product of serious research and passion for the author’s subject. It is also a product of love for the book itself and for bibliophiles, full with all sorts of interesting stories and remarks..." Sotiris S. Livas, in: Journal of Oriental and African Studies 28 (2019)“[…] it is a comprehensive summary of our existing state of knowledge, and paints a lively and entertaining picture of lives lived among books in Mamluk Egypt and Syria.” Paul Auchterlonie, University of Exeter in: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Volume 141, No. 4 (2021).