This work represents a brilliant corpus of Islamic manuscripts devoted to the theological, philosophical and historical traditions of the Fatimid, post-Fatimid Yemeni as well as Indian-Ismaili literature. The catalogue, with its 179 annotated entries which examine the literary and doctrinal aspects of these manuscripts, features incipits in Arabic for each entry and is supported by indices in both Arabic and Latin scripts. The work is fully illustrated and enriched by a comprehensive contextualising introduction. It will prove an invaluable tool for scholars and researchers interested in the study of key-texts from the early Islamic period.

Ismaili and Other Arabic Manuscripts is a supplement to Adam Gacek's two-volume Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, published in London, 1984-1985. This new catalogue includes 189 Arabic manuscripts not listed earlier by Gacek or which have been acquired since then by the Institute of Ismaili Studies Library. The majority of the works belong to the theological, philosophical and historical traditions of Fatimid and post-Fatimid Yemeni Ismaili literature, including manuscripts by important and hitherto unknown authors from Syria. The catalogue is arranged alphabetically by author and chronologically by title and provides details of the content of each work and other relevant information of a literary, historical and doctrinal nature. There are references to other catalogues listing the same works to be found in other collections, followed by details of the main editions, translations and studies. Ismaili and Other Arabic Manuscripts is fully illustrated with colour photographs of selected manuscripts.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and/or concept and richly illustrated, the present vademecum deals with various aspects of Arabic manuscript studies. A companion volume to my recently published The Arabic Manuscript Tradition (2001) and its Supplement (2008), this work constitutes an indispensible aid to students and researchers.

Ismaili Studies represents one of the most recent fields of Islamic Studies. Much new research has taken place in this field as a result of the recovery of a large number of Ismaili texts. Ismaili Literature contains a complete listing of the sources and secondary studies, including theses, written by Ismailis or about them in all major Islamic and European languages. It also contains chapters surveying Ismaili history and developments in modern Ismaili Studies.

Al-Mu'ayyad bi-llah al-Haruni (d. 411/1020) was a representative of the intellectual center of the Zaydiyya in Northern Iran and a student of the leading Muʿtazilite theologians of the time. In his Kitab Ithbat nubuwwat al-nabi he presents a proof of prophecy of Muḥammad and a refutation of the Isma'ilyya.The present volume explores the historical and intellectual context of the oeuvre and includes a partial critical edition of the text.

The Ismailis represent an important Shiʿi Muslim community with rich intellectual and literary traditions. The complex history of the Ismailis dates back to the second/eighth century when they separated from other Shiʿi groups under the leadership of their own imams. Soon afterwards, the Ismailis organised a dynamic, revolutionary movement, known as the daʿwa or mission, for uprooting the Sunni regime of the Abbasids and establishing a new Shiʿi caliphate headed by the Ismaili imam. By the end of the third/ninth century, the Ismaili dāʿīs, operating secretly on behalf of the movement, were active in almost every region of the Muslim world, from Central Asia and Persia to Yemen, Egypt and the Maghrib. This book brings together a collection of the best works from Farhad Daftary, one of the foremost authorities in the field. The studies cover a range of specialised topics related to Ismaili history, historiography, institutions, theology, law and philosophy, amongst other intellectual traditions elaborated by the Ismailis. The collation of these invaluable studies into one book will be of great interest to the Ismaili community as well to anyone studying Islam in general, or Shiʿi Islam in particular.

Middle East Sources provides an invaluable resource for the busy librarian, student or scholar with Middle Eastern interests. It aims to guide readers to the major collections of books and other materials on the subject in the UK and Ireland, as well as to some lesser known but nonetheless interesting collections in smaller libraries. Entries are fully up to date and include information on addresses (including telephone, fax and e-mail details), brief descriptions of collections held, along with references to relevant catalogue material and other directories. The guide also highlights the extent of collections and gives help in accessing. The MELCOM Area Specialisation Scheme (MASS) designation of the collections is also included where relevant.

Covering the entire spectrum of Arabic manuscripts, and especially the handwritten book, this book consists of a glossary of technical terms and a bibliography. The technical terms, collected from a variety of sources, embrace a vast range of topics dealing with the making and reading (studying) of Arabic manuscripts. They include: the Arabic scripts, penmanship, writing materials and implements, the make-up of the codex, copying and correction, decoration and bookbinding. A similar coverage is reflected in the bibliography. In view of the fact that, as yet, there is no concise monograph on Arabic manuscripts in the English language, this book is an important contribution to this field. And, since Arabic manuscripts represent an enormous resource for research, this work is an indispensable reference for all students of Islamic civilization.

In this original study, Elizabeth R. Alexandrin examines the complex relationships that can be inscribed between medieval Ismā'īlī thought as an intellectual tradition with a devotional practice of reliance on the imām, and as a politico-esoteric system that redefined governance during the Fāṭimid caliphate in the eleventh century. Alexandrin's work is a departure from recent Western scholarship that focuses on similarities among early Islamic traditions. She argues instead that, under the guidance of the Fāṭimid Ismā'īlī chief missionary al-Mu'ayyad fī al-Dīn al-Shīrāzī (d. 1078 CE), the concept of walāyah (divine guidance) became closely associated with religio-political authority, on the one hand, and the perfection of the individual human being, on the other. By signaling and affirming how the Fāṭimid caliph-imāms were the heirs of walāyah and by proposing new definitions of the "seal of God's friends" (khātim al-awliyā' Allāh), al- Mu'ayyad broadened the contexts of making esoteric knowledge public and shifted the apocalyptic frameworks of Islamic messianism.