ISBN：9781588396303 

书名：How to Read Islamic Calligraphy

作者：Maryam D. Ekhtiar

出版：Yale University Press，2018

装帧：平装，156页

语种：英文

开本：20*26.5cm

内容提要：

根据伊斯兰教教义，一切有形的都会湮灭，故真主也绝不能以具体的形象显现。因此，种类繁多的伊斯兰书法就成为了表露对真主感情的重要渠道。
这本引人入胜的书籍追溯了几个世纪以来伊斯兰书法艺术的发展历程。通过手稿、玻璃、金属制品和瓷砖的丰富实例，这本书介绍了伊斯兰书法的五种主要字体，并解释了每种字体在不同的语境下的使用，例如抄写古兰经、写诗、发布来自苏丹宫廷的命令等。

An accessible introduction to the quintessential art form of the Islamic world

How to Read Islamic Calligraphy explores the preeminence of the written word as a means of creative expression throughout the Islamic world. Aimed at a general audience, the book introduces all five major Islamic calligraphic script types, demonstrates their distinctive visual characteristics, and explains the various contexts in which each one came to be used, whether for transcribing the Qur’an, composing poetry, or issuing written edicts from the sultan’s court. Numerous examples illustrate how the transmission of these styles and techniques from master to pupil was fundamental to the flourishing of Islamic calligraphy, and handwriting models from as early as the 10th century continue to inspire students of calligraphy today. 

Superbly illustrated, the works discussed include manuscripts, glass, metalware, and ceramic tiles. This accessible and engaging book traces the progression of calligraphic styles over  centuries and across geographical regions, affirming the spectacular range of creative possibilities afforded by this unique art form.