Islamic Manuscripts in the New York Public Library

This multifaceted publication includes a catalogue of over 3,200 Persian, Indian-Islamic, Turkish, and Arabic miniatures in The New York Public Library, principally from its Spencer Collection, accompanied by more than 300 photographs, 24 in color; a catalogue of all Islamic manuscripts in the Library qua manuscripts - notable among these are 400 Arabic manuscripts from the Library's Manuscripts and Archives Department that principally come from a library of the writings and manuscript of a prominent Baghdad family, formed over a period of 300 years. Current critical bibliographies of Islamic miniature painting are presented in introductions to the sections on Arabic, Persian, Indian-Islamic, and Turkish illustrated manuscripts. There are also descriptions of all significant bookbindings, in leather and lacquer-painted, and illuminations, most prominently numerous Qurans and Quranic commentaries. This book represents the first comprehensive publication of a collection of Islamic miniature painting in a major American library or museum.