Calligraphy, the art which combines visual image and written word, is perhaps at its most brilliant in the arts of Islam. This is clearly evident on the pages of this book, widely acclaimed on first publication as the most sumptuous and beautiful study ever produced on the subject. Now available again, it combines numerous illustrations of Arabic scripts with an informative background history and a thorough analysis of the geometrical and ornamental principles involved in the calligraphic art.

"A visually stunning study...these great illustrations will set a designer's heart on fire."--"Interior Design" Islamic calligraphy traditionally took its inspiration from the Muslim belief in the divine origin of Arabic writing. In early Islam the use of Arabic writing is sacred, and official texts gave rise to a wonderful profusion of scripts and a calligraphic tradition that has flourished for over a thousand years--not only in manuscript decoration but also in architecture, ceramics, and painting. This book provides a comprehensive survey of the subject from its earliest origins to the present day. It explains the geometrical and ornamental principles of calligraphy and examines the interdependence of script and page decoration. Finally, and perhaps most important, it contains outstanding examples of scripts--kufic, thuluth, naskhi, and maghribi--in a series of magnificent reproductions of manuscript pages, paintings, and other works of art. 232 illustrations, 98 in color.