The Histories of Nishapur [Harvard Oriental Series, Volume 45]
Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1965. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto (10 1/4 x 7"). 20, [2]pp (English text), 316 leaves (Facsimile plates). Original olive cloth, with gold lettering to spine.
This work consists of three histories of Nishapur in facsimile. They are based on a common source, the "History of Nishapur" by Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Hakim al-NIsaburl al-Bayyi' (d. 405/1014), which has not survived.
The first, the Kitab ahval-i Nishapur, an eclectic work put together in the ninth century of the Hijra, consists of two parts, one in Arabic, giving a list of the learned men of Nishapur, and the other, in Persian containing details of the city and its conquest by the Arabs, together with further information on notables, 'ulama' and 'sufis.'
The second manuscript is in Arabic and is called the Kitab al-siyaq li-ta'rikh Nisabur. It consists mainly of biographies.
The third is the Muntakhab min kitab al-siyaq li-ta'rikh Nisabur, and is an abridgement of the second with some additional material. Professor Frye discusses the texts in a brief introduction.
Minor shelf wear. Ex-library copy, with reference sticker at upper front joint and tail of spine, stamp at top and bottom paper edges, bookplate on inside of front cover and pocket at rear. Binding in overall good+, interior in very good condition. g+ to vg. Item #46666
Price: $125.00