Siah bar Sefid

• Persian Title: سیه بر سفید: مجموعه گفتارها و یادداشت ها در زمینه کتابشناسی و نسخه شناسی
• Transliterated Title (ALA-LC): Siyāh bar Sufīd: majmūʿah-yi guftār-hā va yāddāsht-hā dar kitāb-shināsī va nuskha-shināsī
• English Title: Black on White: Essays and Notes on Bibliography and Manuscript Studies
• Author: ʿĀrif Nūshāhī
• Language: Persian
• ISBN: 978-203-600-020-7
• Publication Year: 2011
• Pages: 225
• Format: PDF
• Category: Textual Studies
• Miras Maktoob Collection Code: 225

【Summary】

Black on White brings together scholarly memoirs, essays, and reflective notes by ʿĀrif Nūshāhī, a distinguished Pakistani bibliographer and manuscript specialist. The volume is based on the author’s academic activities and research experiences between 1974 and 2007 across Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey.

The book is organized into five sections. The first surveys early bibliographies, catalogs, and manuscripts personally examined by the author. The second offers extended essays on manuscript studies. The third contains observations and methodological notes related to codicology. The fourth documents the author’s encounters with manuscript custodians, catalogers, and calligraphers. The fifth presents correspondence from contemporary Iranian manuscript scholars addressed to the author.

Drawing on decades of hands-on experience in cataloging and manuscript research, the work provides a rare combination of technical expertise, intellectual history, and personal scholarly testimony, making it a valuable resource for the study of Islamic manuscript culture and bibliography.