Acknowledgements
Being trained as a conservator of western manuscripts and printed works, I knew nothing of Islamic manuscripts when I started the conservation workshop in the Leiden University Library (UBL) in 2000. The Oriental manuscripts required my attention nevertheless. A condition assessment of part of the collection helped me to become acquainted with these objects, with their physical particularities and their preservation needs in general. When one works with old books, the senses are always involved. Books have a scent, which tells us something about the materials they are made of and the circumstances they have been kept in. They can be visually attractive, interesting, or rather dull, and they emit sounds too; creaks may caution the user against vulnerable joints and leafing through parchment or paper textblocks produces subtle sound differences. But above all, these objects with their composite materials have a special touch. For me, the tactile quality has been the most intriguing aspect of the Arabic manuscripts in the Oriental collection; they are so very different from western books. The Islamic paper of the older volumes is soft, sometimes almost cloth-like. The rounded corners of textblocks bear witness to intense use; these books were carried around and pocketed and thumbed a lot. The covers, flush with the edges of the textblock, with boards made not of wood or other heavy material but consisting of laminated paper leaves, are light and sometimes even a little limp; thus, they form a unity with the textblock in a surprising way. In a subtle way, the leather used to cover the bindings is different from the leather used on western bindings. The envelope flap which closes around the fore-edge of the textblock and under the front cover, perhaps the most typical feature of these bindings, is a protective element which is very sympathetic with the manuscript; these artefacts have no metal clasps and accompanying nails that leave small holes or corrosion marks in the outer leaves. The use of silk for the decorative endband sewing adds to the attractiveness of the volumes. On the whole, the books are easy to touch and accessible, even the ones affected by old age or those that have been heavily repaired—perhaps those especially. Notwithstanding the inaccessibility of the Arabic writings (at least for me), I felt a strong affinity for the materials and shape of these manuscripts.
The manner in which real books—as opposed to their digital equivalents—strongly appeal to our senses is instrumental to one of the most important effects old books have on us when we work with them: we have a sense of being in touch with the past. Through their materiality and physical characteristics books speak to us beyond their intellectual content. The book as a physical object carries information, provided that one knows how to interpret the message. In the case of the Arabic manuscript collection in the UBL, it was clear that there were an abundance of messages, but a framework was lacking to interpret the information. Though the art-historical developments of Islamic bindings have been studied, the technique of their making and structural composition has been largely ignored. Because of my professional need for a better understanding of these objects—in order to make conservation decisions—and my interest in Islamic manuscripts as artefacts, I decided to use the collection itself to learn about the technique of Islamic bookbinding. Conducting the actual survey was akin to excavating and mining the stacks; it was a privilege to be able to do that.
Though curious and expectant, when I first carried out what I now call a pilot survey, I did not realise how much new information a material assessment would generate. From the initial results it was quite clear, however, what a potential wealth of information was sitting on the shelves. The idea to expand the survey to include all UBL’s manuscripts in Arabic script and conduct this study as a doctoral thesis was fully and unhesitantly supported by Arnoud Vrolijk, curator of the collections’ oriental manuscripts and rare books, and Paul Hoftijzer, professor of book history at the University of Leiden. Their guidance contributed to the development of my work in many ways, and the value of their confidence in the efficaciousness of this work cannot be underestimated. Our work meetings were a huge pleasure as well; I remain thankful to them both. My gratitude also extends to the reading committee members, François Déroche, Nicholas Pickwoad, Harm Beukers, Willem van der Molen, and Jan Schmidt, for their questions, comments, and advice.
From the outset, this study was supported and encouraged by Paul Hepworth, who generously shared his expertise and accepted to take on an unofficial editorial role; I am greatly indebted to him. Any mistakes that remain are my own responsibility, of course. Paul and I worked on the development of the Terminology for the conservation and description of Islamic manuscripts during the same years my thesis took shape, and since the use of terminology is unavoidable when writing about Islamic manuscripts, the Terminology proved an indispensable tool for this study. However, without Nicholas Pickwoad, who has extensive experience in defining book vocabulary, the glossary of this book would not have been what it is now. I am grateful for his suggestions and the inspiring discussions we have had.
Many people helped to get the work on its way. I much appreciate the enjoyable discussions I had with colleagues and friends, either close by or far away, among whom are Gabriëlle Beentjes, Femke Prinsen, Wineke Meeuws, Mandana Barkeshli, Annabel Teh Gallop, Amélie Couvrat Desvergnes, Kathryn Schwartz, Meredith Quinn, Herre de Vries, and Luitgard Mols. My thanks also go to Evyn Kropf, Teresa Espejo Arias, Marie-Geneviève Guesdon, Adam Gacek, Jan Just Witkam, and Jake Benson, who responded to my questions so graciously. I thank Laura Parodi, Neill McManus for sharing some of his findings, and all those I met through TIMA and COMSt projects; often the conversations we had helped to shape my ideas.
I received warm support from my library colleagues, especially those linked to the Special Collections, who left me to work undisturbed when I assessed the manuscripts in the vault on my non-office day, all those Wednesdays. The library granted me unlimited access to the stacks which was a gift in itself, and the two collection curators, Marie-Odette Scalliet and Arnoud Vrolijk, provided counsel, enthusiasm, and knowledge. In addition, I would like to thank LUCAS, for the support that enabled me to take a two-month leave in the final stage of writing my thesis; this proved to be very productive as it allowed me to fully focus. My conservation colleagues in the workshop offered practical backing and further stimulated my study by showing genuine interest and asking many questions. In addition, I am deeply indebted to Femke Prinsen, for her remarkable computer skills and her readiness to help.
My husband, Erik Geleijns, supported this undertaking from the very beginning. When I started this project our daughters, Judith and Elize, were already old enough to not really mind that I spent most of my evenings and many weekends behind the computer, and the three of them have seen the process through with good humour, for which I am immensely thankful.