Qur′ans – Books of Divine Encounter

A beautiful book showing some antique wonderfully illustrated manuscripts

Nothing similar to the picture advertised.

This is a book that Dr. Small, a leading Oxford researcher of Qur'an manuscripts, was asked to write for placement in the Oxford Bodleian Library Bookstore, to give readers a general sense of the progression of the Qur'an through the various periods of its history as a written object while also showcasing many of the remarkable Qur'an manuscripts in the collections of the Bodleian Library.Small's previous book, "Textual Criticism and Qur'an Manuscripts," is scholarly and systematic, and I've also reviewed it here on Amazon."Qur'ans: Books of Divine Encounter," is something quite different. It is a simple and beautiful introduction to the progression of the Qur'an through its manuscript (and one textile) history for non-academics. In it, Small presents these objects with emphasis upon their style, utility, and beauty as works of art and exemplars of their respective time periods. He touches upon the ways they were produced, the development of the textual features, geometry, illuminations, and materials, as well as some of the ways written Qur'ans have been understood and used by ordinary Muslims over the centuries. Its full color photographs of manuscripts are beautiful, and the selection of Qur'ans, while not exhaustive (it was not intended to be so), is balanced and logical. And of course, even though this book was not written for graduate students, its author is an expert and the book is thus an intelligent introduction for lay people wishing to explore the world of Qur'an manuscripts a bit further.One important scholar in our area recently gave "Qur'ans: Books of Divine Encounter" praise while also making a few justified (but non-fatal) criticisms of a nature that will not in any way touch upon the book's general usefulness. This is what scholars do to keep each other sharp and is nothing unusual.I work as an academic with Qur'an manuscripts myself and move among the other academics in this field. I will conclude this review with mention of another respected senior scholar in our field who commented to me recently that he loves this book and has found it excellent for use with students. I agree with him and will be doing the same.First, know that this is not a textbook as such, but then please don't hesitate to buy it.