Book of Noble Character

This critical Arabic text edition of K. Mak?rim al-akhl?q wa-ma??sin al-?d?b wa-bad??i? al-aw??f wa-ghar??ib al-tashb?h?t(Book of Noble Character, Excellent Conduct, Admirable Descriptions, and Curious Similes) is a substantial work of adab attributed to the prominent littérateur Ab? Man??r al-Tha??lib? (d. 429/1039) that consists of a short introduction and three chapters. The first chapter addresses acquiring noble character and excellent conduct (al-ta?all? bi-mak?rim al-akhl?q wa-ma??sin al-?d?b); the second addresses shunning away from base character and ugly traits (al-tazakk? ?an mas?wi? al-akhl?q wa-maq?bi? al-shiyam); and the third addresses admirable descriptions and curious similes (bad??i? al-aw??f wa-ghar??ib al-tashb?h?t). At the end of the text one finds a relatively large collection of widely circulating proverbs (amth?l s??ira) that are alphabetically arranged. Mak?rim al-akhl?q is in essence an anthology of "good conduct" and of quotations suitable for social and literary discourse. It reflects the three ingredients of adab: behavior, literary culture, and learning. The work is introduced by an analytical study discussing the attribution of the work, the related genres, and the unique manuscript of the text.