Arabic Script: Styles, Variants, and Calligraphic Adaptations

This enlightening book helps us discover an alphabet that throughout the centuries has been linked to the secular and religious worlds of Islam. The text explains the history and meaning of each letter, as well as its philosophical, theological, and cultural significance, and 300 two-color and black-and-white pictures illustrate the letters, their variants, and calligraphic adaptations. An ideal book for linguists, graphic designers, and collectors of Islamic art, Arabic Script will also prove handy for travelers who wish to become familiar with the rudiments of the alphabet.

Why did I find it disappointing? Perhaps I was expecting a bit more content; instead the book had the feel of a book thrown together to create a book. This is even more true of his companion volume, 'L'alfabeto ebreico'.

The illustrations seem too small to provide a useful guide to the caligrapher, and tend to concentrate - like to many books on Arabic calligraphy - on the illumination to the detriment of the calligraphy itself. The book also relies too heavily on Arabic typography, which isn't really the same as calligraphy, and which so often breaks the canons of calligraphy, with the result of seeming both ugly and hard to read.

I'd like to have know far more on the tradition of calligraphy and the calligraphers themselves; a more focused investigation of the styles used and how they've developed; a useful bibliography.

All in all, disappointing.


An insight to Arabic culture through its calligraphy   January 5, 2002
Eds Word (El Paso, Texas United States)
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

This richly illustrated volume on Arabic calligraphy is truly a feast for the eyes. The book begins with a brief introduction on the evolution of the Arabic script from its pre-Islamic origins to its blossoming into the many calligraphic forms we see today. Examples of the script throughout its development are provided, from early Nabatean scripts to modern attempts at introducing capital letters. Particularly interesting is the letter from the prophet Muhammad to Mundar ibn Saui (the script used by Muhammad is a bit different than contemporary Arabic script). In the next section, each letter is individually given at least a two-page discourse on various calligraphic forms, the symbology associated with the letter, its current use, how the letter relates to the Qur'an, and pronunciation of the letter (e.g. the Arabic letter 'shin' is used as an abbreviation for path and to Sufi mystics 'shin' symbolizes personal destiny). The final section shows examples of texts, manuscripts, and other sources depicting the wide range of calligraphic styles. Examples include excerpts from Qur'ans, from medieval-era scientific treatises, from talismans, and from other sources dating from antiquity to the present. The glossary at the end of the book, though too brief, is quite helpful.

This book is more about the artistry that is inherent in the Arabic script rather than on teaching the reader how to write Arabic letters - and you don't need to know Arabic to fully appreciate the artistry. Khan's work will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone interested in Islamic art, culture, or the Arabic language.