Paper Before Print : The History and Impact of Paper in the Islamic World

by Jonathan Bloom

• ISBN13: 9780300089554
• ISBN10: 0300089554
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2001-10-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• More Book Details
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Summary

This engaging book presents a new chapter in paper's history: how its use in Islamic lands during the Middle Ages influenced almost every aspect of medieval life. The text and illustrations (of papermaking techniques and the many uses to which paper was put) give new luster and importance to a now-humble material. 100+ illustrations.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Maps: The Spread of Paper and Papermaking	xiv
Introduction	1	(15)
The Invention of Paper	16	(30)
Clay Tablets and Papyrus Rolls
Wooden Tablets and Parchment Codices
Bamboo Strips and Silk Cloth
The Invention of Paper
The Diffusion of Paper
The Introduction of Paper in the Islamic Lands
The Spread of Papermaking Across the Islamic Lands	46	(44)
Iraq
Syria
Iran and Central Asia
Egypt
The Maghrib (North Africa and Spain)
Paper and Books	90	(34)
The Koran and Oral Culture
Written Arabic
An Explosion of Books
Collections and Libraries
A Culture of Writing
Paper and Systems of Notation	124	(36)
Mathematics
Commerce
Cartography
Music, Genealogy, and Battle Plans
Paper and the Visual Arts	160	(42)
Before the Thirteenth Century
From the Thirteenth Century
The Transfer of Paper and Papermarking to Christian Europe	202	(12)
Byzantium
Spain
Italy
Europe North of the Alps
Paper After Print	214	(13)
Bibliographical Essay	227	(22)
Works Cited	249	(14)
Index	263