"The anthology produced by the experts of the Institute of Oriental Studies (IOS) of the Academy of Sciences and foreign experts, Marco Di Bella (Italy) and Antonio Mirabile (Italy), contains materials that provide a description of the manuscript collection at the IOS of the Academy of Sciences representing more than 26,000 manuscripts and 39,000 lithographs in Arabic script. It highlights the history of the Institute's manuscript collection and provides an analysis of the subject matter. The work also covers the art of book writing and the activities of representatives from various schools of calligraphy and ornamental art such as miniature illustrations on the collection's manuscripts and specific features of their bindings. Furthermore, it investigates the development of paper production and describes the different paper types used in the manuscripts. This anthology contains a proposal for the conservation and examination of the condition of the manuscript collection of the Institute."--Title page verso.