

"A visually stunning study...these great illustrations will set a designer's heart on fire."ย Interior Design Islamic calligraphy traditionally took its inspiration from the Muslim belief in the divine origin of Arabic writing. In early Islam the use of Arabic writing is sacred, and official texts gave rise to a wonderful profusion of scripts and a calligraphic tradition that has flourished for over a thousand yearsยnot only in manuscript decoration but also in architecture, ceramics, and painting. This book provides a comprehensive survey of the subject from its earliest origins to the present day. It explains the geometrical and ornamental principles of calligraphy and examines the interdependence of script and page decoration. Finally, and perhaps most important, it contains outstanding examples of scriptsยkufic, thuluth, naskhi, and maghribiยin a series of magnificent reproductions of manuscript pages, paintings, and other works of art. 232 illustrations, 98 in color. Review: Beautiful pictures, well written - I purchased this mainly to look at the pictures. However, the book is very well written and I have enjoyed reading it as well. Review: Five Stars - excellent book quality pictures
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,890,152 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #651 in Calligraphy Guides #5,290 in Arts & Photography Criticism #98,791 in Textbooks (Special Features Stores) |
| Customer Reviews | 3.9 out of 5 stars 10 Reviews |
J**K
Beautiful pictures, well written
I purchased this mainly to look at the pictures. However, the book is very well written and I have enjoyed reading it as well.
A**N
Five Stars
excellent book quality pictures
L**N
Great photos, awful text.
If you only need this book for the photos itโs a five. But if you need to learn something donโt bother reading this book.T his mix of factoids is often dadaesque in its randomness. The authors constantly segue between history, art, religion, and mysticism, rarely making any sense at all. About a fifth of the text is the sort of doggerel that only postmodern pseudo-intellectuals are proud of.
V**R
Very elementary. Too much emphasis on Maghrebi caligraphy and ...
Very elementary.Too much emphasis on Maghrebi caligraphy and not enough on the other styles all six of which are much more important artisticaly and historicaly.
N**E
Beautiful Art Reference
Better than the internets. An impressive and timeless reference. Stoked to own it.
M**I
GOOD ORIENTATION TO ISLAMIC CALLIGRAPHY
Overall a good intro to Islamic Calligraphy. More pictorial examples of Quranic manuscripts would have improved the contents relativity. Purchased it through Amazon's own bookstore - poor packaging - item arrived damaged considerably.
M**M
very good read
A**Z
Great book, looks fab and is a great showcase performer.
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