Blair Sheila Blair's Books

The Monumental Inscriptions from Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana

By: Sheila Blair

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The Monumental Inscriptions from Early Islamic Iran and Transoxiana

By: Sheila Blair

Inscriptions on buildings are a distinctive feature of Islamic architecture, and this book studies the 79 surviving monumental inscriptions in the Iranian world from the first five centuries of the Muslim era (A.D. 622-1106), the period in which all the major trends of monumental epigraphy in the area were set. These foundation, commemorative, and funerary texts come from the region between Iraq and Soviet Central Asia. Written primarily in Arabic, they embellished architectural monuments and furnishings whose nature implies the construction of major buildings. An extended introduction discusses such general topics as titulature, patronage, and stylistic development. Each text is then presented individually with photographs, drawings, transcriptions, translations and an extensive commentary, which presents the inscription in its larger palaeographic and historical contexts.

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Page Count

323

Publisher

BRILL

Published Date

ISBN 10

900466081X

ISBN 13

9789004660816

Islam

A Thousand Years of Faith and Power

By: Jonathan Bloom,Sheila Blair

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Islam

A Thousand Years of Faith and Power

By: Jonathan Bloom,Sheila Blair

In its first thousand years - from the revelations given to Muhammad in the 7th century to the great Islamic empires of the 16th - Islamic civilization flourished. While Europeans suffered through the Dark Ages, Muslims in such cities as Jerusalem, Damascus, Alexandria, Fez, Tunis, Cairo and Baghdad made remarkable advances in philosophy, science, medicine, literature and art. This work explores the first millennium of Islamic culture, seeking to shatter stereotypes and enlighten readers about the events and achievements that have shaped contemporary Islamic civilization. Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair examine the rise of Islam, the life of Muhammad, and the Islamic principles of faith. They describe the golden age of the Abbasids, the Mongol invasions, and the great Ottoman, Safavid and Mughal empires that emerged in their wake. Their narrative, complemented by excerpts of the Koran, poetry, biographies, inscriptions, travel guides, and a 13th-century recipe, concludes with a brief epilogue that takes us into the 20th century.

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Page Count

308

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

030012757X

ISBN 13

9780300127577

Too Much to Know

Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age

By: Ann M. Blair

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Too Much to Know

Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age

By: Ann M. Blair

The flood of information brought to us by advancing technology is often accompanied by a distressing sense of "information overload," yet this experience is not unique to modern times. In fact, says Ann M. Blair in this intriguing book, the invention of the printing press and the ensuing abundance of books provoked sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European scholars to register complaints very similar to our own. Blair examines methods of information management in ancient and medieval Europe as well as the Islamic world and China, then focuses particular attention on the organization, composition, and reception of Latin reference books in print in early modern Europe. She explores in detail the sophisticated and sometimes idiosyncratic techniques that scholars and readers developed in an era of new technology and exploding information.

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Page Count

581

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300168497

ISBN 13

9780300168495

Islamic Calligraphy

By: Blair Sheila Blair

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Islamic Calligraphy

By: Blair Sheila Blair

Joint Winner of the 2007 British-Kuwait Friendship Society Prize for Middle Eastern StudiesThis stunning book is an important contribution to a key area of non-western art, being the first reference work on the art of beautiful writing in Arabic script.The extensive use of writing is a hallmark of Islamic civilization. Calligraphy, the art of beautiful writing, became one of the main methods of artistic expression from the seventh century to the present in almost all regions from the far Maghrib, or Islamic West, to India and beyond. Arabic script was adopted for other languages from Persian and Turkish to Kanembu and Malay. Sheila S. Blair's groundbreaking book explains this art form to modern readers and shows them how to identify, understand and appreciate its varied styles and modes. The book is designed to offer a standardized terminology for identifying and describing various styles of Islamic calligraphy and to help Westerners appreciate why calligraphy has long been so important in Islamic civilization.The argument is enhanced by the inclusion of more than 150 colour illustrations, as well as over a hundred black-and-white details that highlight the salient features of the individual scripts and hands. Examples are chosen from dated or datable examples with secure provenance, for the problem of forgeries and copies (both medieval and modern) is rampant. The illustrations are accompanied by detailed analyses telling the reader what to look for in determining both style and quality of script.This beautiful new book is an ideal reference for anyone with an interest in Islamic art.Key Features* Written by the world's leading expert on Islamic calligraphy* Includes c.150 colour illustrations* Comprehensive: covers the art of calligraphy throughout Islamic civilisation, from the 7thc. to the present* The first volume to explain this art form to modern readers, guiding them in the identification, understanding and appreciation of its varied style

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Page Count

736

Publisher

Edinburgh University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1474464475

ISBN 13

9781474464475

The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800

By: Sheila S. Blair,Jonathan M. Bloom

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The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250-1800

By: Sheila S. Blair,Jonathan M. Bloom

They discuss, for example, how the universal caliphs of the first six centuries gave way to regional rulers and how, in this new world order, Iranian forms, techniques, and motifs played a dominant role in the artistic life of most of the Muslim world; the one exception was the Maghrib, an area protected from the full brunt of the Mongol invasions, where traditional models continued to inspire artists and patrons. By the sixteenth century, say the authors, the eastern Mediterranean under the Ottomans and the area of northern India under the Mughals had become more powerful, and the Iranian models of early Ottoman and Mughal art gradually gave way to distinct regional and imperial styles.

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Page Count

376

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300064659

ISBN 13

9780300064650

Prealgebra

By: Jamie Blair,John Tobey,Jeffrey Slater

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Prealgebra

By: Jamie Blair,John Tobey,Jeffrey Slater

Jamie Blair, John Tobey, and Jeff Slater are experienced developmental math authors and "active" classroom teachers. They have carefully crafted their texts to support students in this course by staying with them every step of the way. Blair, Tobey and Slater... "With you every step of the way." This 3rd edtion of "Prealgebra "is appropriate for a 1-sem course in Prealgebra and was designed to bridge the gap between arithmetic and algebra topics. Intended for those students who are preparing to take an elementary algebra course and have either not studied algebra or have been previously unsuccessful in arithmetic or algebra. This text integrates algebra rules and concepts with those of arithmetic, sprialing the topics and teaching "why, "not memorization. Also teaches students the specific study skills necessary to accomade their individual learning styles.

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