Throughout the East, writing is held to be a gift from the gods, and the divinely inspired letters and characters are objects of the highest veneration. The religious significance of calligraphy has thus led to a unique development of the art of brush and ink in Japan, China, India, and Tibet. This beautifully illustrated book covers such topics as the history and spirit of Eastern calligraphy, the art of copying religious texts, the biographies of important Zen calligraphers, and practical instructions on materials and techniques for the contemporary student. No knowledge of the languages discussed is required for the reader to appreciate the study of this ancient practice.

John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored over thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on Aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring this classic "Sacred Calligraphy of the East." Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include "The Philosophy of Aikido, Extraordinary Zen Masters, " and "The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei."

This book describes meaning, stages and methods of writing a successful research project proposal and a thesis from the first draft proposal to the final version of the thesis. As a manual, this book follows a simple approach that beginners can use without complications and many terminologies and technical terms have been translated into Arabic. The book explains the structure of a thesis and proposal including title, abstract, introduction, literature review, materials and methods, results, discussion, biography and appendix (if there is any). These parts of the thesis are often mixed up without emphasizing the purpose of each part and often without limiting oneself to the specific chapter.

ARABIC CALLIGRAPHY MADE EASY

'Arabic Calligraphy Made Easy' is the first of the 7-book children s series 'Medinah Arabic Course for Children'. The others being three textbooks, and three workbooks.

It has been developed, modified, improved and tested over a period of several years to make it as suitable as possible for elementary school children.

'Arabic Calligraphy Made Easy', in English, was made with Dr V. Abdur Rahim's famous adults 'Medinah Arabic Course' series in mind. It will get you started on your way to writing proper Arabic calligraphy, even by yourself. It is an excellent hands-on, practical, and basic calligraphy book with plenty of space for practice.

An A-4 sized book, it contains ample room to be put into practice, and is very suitable for the classroom. It was originally designed for adults who wish to learn practically and independent of a teacher, it was then modified to be more suitable for children. The book makes use of large, clear Arabic fonts and the design accommodates generous spacing for the required writing practice. Additionally, it has been printed on non-glossy paper and therefore can be written on in pencil, and allows for easy erasing.

'Arabic Calligraphy Made Easy' deals with the most basic of fonts, Traditional Arabic, which is the most common computer font, as well as the easiest to read and write.

CONTENTS: Preface The Arabic Alphabet The Fundamental Arabic Letter Shapes The Fundamental Arabic Letter Shapes (Outline) Part One: The Letters in Their Isolated Forms Part Two: The Letters in Their Connected Forms Part Three: Difficult Letters Part Four: Various Exercises Oral Exercise (1): Isolated Letters Oral Exercise (2): Connected Letters The book is 56 pages long, and is in black and white.

PLEASE SEE MY WEBSITE: WWW.TAHA-ARABIC.COM FOR THE FOLLOWING: Discounts for large orders of this series (the children s set) of 'Medinah Arabic Course for Children'. A complete teacher's module. Highly effective PowerPoint downloads (in flash format) for the months preceding the children's books. Additional material and tips relating to calligraphy, the Arabic language, and overall teaching methodology. Samples of the other books in this series. Samples of the latest new-edition printing of Dr V. Abdur Rahim's adult 'Medinah Arabic Course'.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Muhammad Taha Abdullah is an American convert to Islam since 1989. He studied at the Islamic University of Medinah, Saudi Arabia in the early 1990's and has been teaching Arabic for almost 20 years. He has written over 25 books related to Arabic and Dr V. Abdur Rahim's revolutionary books and methodology. Muhammad Taha resides in Malaysia.

His website is: WWW.TAHA-ARABIC.COM

ABOUT THE REVISER:

Dr V. Abdur Rahim, a scholar of the Arabic language, has revolutionized the way non-native speakers throughout the world perceive, learn, and master the Arabic language. He has 50 years of experience teaching Arabic to non-native speakers as well as Arabs themselves. For 30 years he was Professor of Arabic at the world-renowned Islamic University, Madinah, Saudi Arabia. With his knowledge of foreign languages he is acutely aware of the learning needs of non-native speakers, particularly first-time learners.

Based on precise teaching methods, a crisp writing style, and techniques that ensure that students are grounded on the fundamentals first before the details, Dr V. Abdur Rahim has authored many books teaching classical and modern Arabic to a range of audiences; children, students, teachers, professionals and laymen. His books are currently being used in schools, colleges and universities all over the world.

Dr V. s website is: WWW.DRVANIYA.COM

Thank you Shukran

Read the Bldg Blog interview with Mary Beard about the Wonders of the World series(Part I and Part II) The Rosetta Stone is one of the world's great wonders, attracting awed pilgrims by the tens of thousands each year. This book tells the Stone's story, from its discovery by Napoleon's expedition to Egypt to its current--and controversial-- status as the single most visited object on display in the British Museum. A pharaoh's forgotten decree, cut in granite in three scripts--Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic, and ancient Greek--the Rosetta Stone promised to unlock the door to the language of ancient Egypt and its 3,000 years of civilization, if only it could be deciphered. Capturing the drama of the race to decode this key to the ancient past, John Ray traces the paths pursued by the British polymath Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion, the "father of Egyptology" ultimately credited with deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. He shows how Champollion "broke the code" and explains more generally how such deciphering is done, as well as its critical role in the history of Egyptology. Concluding with a chapter on the political and cultural controversy surrounding the Stone, the book also includes an appendix with a full translation of the Stone's text. Rich in anecdote and curious lore, The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt is a brilliant and frequently amusing guide to one of history's great mysteries and marvels.

This book, covering the entire spectrum of Arabic manuscripts, and especially the handwritten book, consists of a glossary of technical terms and a bibliography. The technical terms, collected from a variety of sources embrace a vast range of topics dealing with the making and reading (studying) of Arabic manuscripts. They are: the Arabic script, penmanship, writing materials and implements, the make-up of the codex, copying and correction, decoration and bookbinding, as well as the transmission of texts and former ownership. A similar coverage is reflected in the bibliography.

This book deals with the De Bry collection of voyages, one of the most monumental publications of Early Modern Europe. It analyzes the textual and iconographic changes the De Bry publishing family made to travel accounts describing Asia, Africa and the New World. It discusses this editorial strategy in the context of the publishing industry around 1600, investigating the biography of the De Brys, the publications of the Frankfurt firm, and the making of the collection, as well as its reception by Iberian inquisitors and seventeenth-century readers across the Old World. The book draws on a wide variety of primary sources, and is hence important for historians, book historians, and art historians interested in the development of Europe's overseas empires. Originally published in hardcover.

Week 3 out of 3. Actually Learn Arabic Letters: A Fun Course That Works--In 3 Weeks offers THE definitive course on learning the Arabic letters and their pronunciations. For servicemen, executives, interfaith initiatives, housewives, and children of all ages, this gentle book takes you by the hand and gives an advanced step-by-step system for actually learning the letters. Each letter gets its own distinctive pictures. Recall is increased to close to 100% after only a couple minutes of playful exercises per letter. The non-threatening, fun approach guarantees that people of all ages will want more, instead of running away in fear and frustration. Reading, writing, and pronunciation are all covered.

--This book is Week 3 of a 3-week course. It requires Weeks 1 and 2 in order to cover the entire alphabet. This book offers around 3-6 hours of learning material for one university week or two gradeschool weeks. Suitable for self-study in the home or out in the field as well. If you've bought other courses and failed, you'll want to come back to this one. Or if this is your first time learning Arabic, you'll want to go ahead and get this course right away--it's worth it. Even if you never thought you could, YOU can ACTUALLY LEARN ARABIC LETTERS

Week 2 out of 3. Actually Learn Arabic Letters: A Fun Course That Works--In 3 Weeks offers THE definitive course on learning the Arabic letters and their pronunciations. For servicemen, executives, interfaith initiatives, housewives, and children of all ages, this gentle book takes you by the hand and gives an advanced step-by-step system for actually learning the letters. Each letter gets its own distinctive pictures. Recall is increased to close to 100% after only a couple minutes of playful exercises per letter. The non-threatening, fun approach guarantees that people of all ages will want more, instead of running away in fear and frustration. Reading, writing, and pronunciation are all covered.

This book is Week 2 of a 3-week course. It requires Weeks 1 and 3 in order to cover the entire alphabet. This book offers around 3-6 hours of learning material for one university week or two gradeschool weeks. Suitable for self-study in the home or out in the field as well. If you've bought other courses and failed, you'll want to come back to this one. Or if this is your first time learning Arabic, you'll want to go ahead and get this course right away--it's worth it. Even if you never thought you could, YOU can ACTUALLY LEARN ARABIC LETTERS

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, a.k.a Lewis Carroll, invented a special writing instrument he called "the Nyctograph" on 24 September 1891, in frustration at the process of "getting out of bed at 2 a.m. in a winter night, lighting a candle, and recording some happy thought which would probably be otherwise forgotten." This edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" is written entirely in the author's unique night-time alphabet.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and/or concept, the present handbook has been conceived, for convenience sake and quick reference, as an aid to students and researchers who are often puzzled or even sometimes intimidated by the mysterious world of Arabic manuscripts and the technical language that goes with it. A companion volume to the recently published "The Arabic Manuscript Tradition "(2001) and its "Supplement "(2008), the vademecum comprises some 200 entries of varying lengths dealing with almost all aspects of Arabic manuscript studies (codicology and palaeography). It is richly illustrated with specimens from manuscripts and expertly executed drawings. The main sequence is followed by a number of appendices covering abbreviations, letterforms, s rah-headings, major reference works and a guide to the description of manuscripts, as well as charts of major historical periods and dynasties.

A book for anyone teaching English spelling, particularly those working with English language learners. This essential manual answers three challenging questions about teaching spelling: Why is there a problem with teaching and learning spelling? What can be done about it? How can this be accomplished? The first part of the book helps teachers understand the systems of English spelling and the regularities, which are not necessarily phonological. It explores the errors that learners really make and the challenges faced by teachers. The second part outlines a fresh, new, multi-dimensional approach to teaching spelling which recognises the need for learner engagement and strategy training as well as work on the patterns found in English orthography. The final part of the book presents over seventy engaging and effective activities which are designed to develop a range of strategies and knowledge about English spelling.

Over 5,000 years ago, the history of humanity radically changed direction when writing was invented in Sumer, the southern part of present-day Iraq. For the next three millennia, kings, aristocrats, and slaves all made intensive use of cuneiform script to document everything from royal archives to family records. In engaging style, Dominique Charpin shows how hundreds of thousands of clay tablets testify to the history of an ancient society that communicated broadly through letters to gods, insightful commentary, and sales receipts. He includes a number of passages, offered in translation, that allow readers an illuminating glimpse into the lives of Babylonians. Charpin's insightful overview discusses the methods and institutions used to teach reading and writing, the process of apprenticeship, the role of archives and libraries, and various types of literature, including epistolary exchanges and legal and religious writing. The only book of its kind, Reading and Writing in Babylon introduces Mesopotamia as the birthplace of civilization, culture, and literature while addressing the technical side of writing and arguing for a much wider spread of literacy than is generally assumed. Charpin combines an intimate knowledge of cuneiform with a certain breadth of vision that allows this book to transcend a small circle of scholars. Though it will engage a broad general audience, this book also fills a critical academic gap and is certain to become the standard reference on the topic.

2010 Reprint of 1927 First Edition. Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Austine Waddell (1854 - 1938) was a British explorer, collector in Tibet, and author. He traveled in India throughout the 1890s (including Sikkim and areas on the borders of Nepal and Tibet) and wrote about the Tibetan Buddhist religious practices he observed there. In his later works he tried to synthesize Western and Near Eastern cultures. In this work he proposes an Aryan (i.e., Indo-European) origin of the alphabet. His point of departure is the presumed Semitic origin of the Alphabet, against which he makes an argument for an actual Aryan origin. Illustrated in the text and with two large plates.

Idioms and Cliches... is a supplementary text for advanced ESL/EFL students and professionals who want to read and better understand business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Barron's, etc. Gleaned from these sources, this book contains 250 idioms, explanations and example usage. This simple text relies on the instructor to further provide explanation and discussion. Some pages may be copied limitedly.

Week 1 of 3.Actually Learn Arabic Letters: A Fun Course That Works--In 3 Weeks offers THE definitive course on learning the Arabic letters and their pronunciations. For servicemen, executives, interfaith initiatives, housewives, and children of all ages, this gentle book takes you by the hand and gives an advanced step-by-step system for actually learning the letters. Each letter gets its own distinctive pictures. Recall is increased to close to 100% after only a couple minutes of playful exercises per letter. The non-threatening, fun approach guarantees that people of all ages will want more, instead of running away in fear and frustration. Reading, writing, and pronunciation are all covered.

This book is Week 1 of a 3-week course. It requires Weeks 2 and 3 in order to cover the entire alphabet. This book offers around 3-6 hours of learning material for one university week or two gradeschool weeks. Suitable for self-study in the home or out in the field as well. If you've bought other courses and failed, you'll want to come back to this one. Or if this is your first time learning Arabic, you'll want to go ahead and get this course right away--it's worth it.

Even if you never thought you could, YOU canACTUALLY LEARN ARABIC LETTERS

Thompson's History of English Handwriting charts the development of the distinctive, and often very beautiful, English scripts, beginning with the introduction of half uncials by Irish monks in the seventh century. Although manuscripts from Rome and elsewhere on the Continent influenced English handwriting, it displayed unique characteristics which even the Norman Conquest did not completely obliterate. The basis of this book is a paper delivered to the Bibliographical Society in 1899 and printed in the Society's Transactions the following year. It has been revised by Gerrish Gray who has taken the opportunity to increase the number of illustrations from eighteen to forty-eight. Transcriptions have been added to eight of these, making the book a useful introduction to English palaeography. Sources of illustrations include Bibles, psalters, chronicles, charters and literary manuscripts. Sir Edward Maunde Thompson (1840-1929) was educated at Rugby and University College, Oxford. Lack of money forced him to leave the University without taking a degree, and in 1861 he found employment at the British Museum as assistant to Sir Anthony Panizzi, the Principal Librarian.He transferred to the Department of Manuscripts in 1862, being made Assistant Keeper in 1871. He was made Keeper of Manuscripts in 1878 and Principal Librarian in 1888. His highly-regarded Introduction to Greek and Latin Palaeography was first published in 1893 and revised in 1912.

This book is recognized as a classic study both of the politics of language and religion in India and of ethnic and nationalist movements in general. It received overwhelmingly favorable reviews across disciplinary and international boundaries at first publication, characterized as "a masterly conceptual analysis of language, religion, ethnic groups, and nationhood," "a monumental work," "of interest to all political scientists," one that "should be required reading for any politically concerned person" in the United Kingdom (from a TLS review), a work whose "value and importance...can scarcely be overstated," with "no competitor in the same class."

Bernhard Bischoff (1906-1991) was one of the most renowned scholars of medieval palaeography of the twentieth century. His most outstanding contribution to learning was in the field of Carolingian studies, where his work is based on the catalogue of all extant ninth-century manuscripts and fragments. In this book, Michael Gorman has selected and translated seven of his classic essays on aspects of eighth- and ninth-century culture. They include an investigation of the manuscript evidence and the role of books in the transmission of culture from the sixth to the ninth century, and studies of the court libraries of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious. Bischoff also explores centres of learning outside the court in terms of the writing centres and the libraries associated with major monastic and cathedral schools respectively. This rich collection provides a full, coherent study of Carolingian culture from a number of different yet interdependent aspects, providing insights for scholars and students alike.

Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima share many similarities, even though they lived in different centuries. Both were Odawa, and they both cared about the customs and traditions of their people. Andrew J. Blackbird lived in Little Traverse, now Harbor Springs, Michigan, while Ray Kiogima lives there now. Both wrote dictionaries and grammars for their people, while also recounting legends. In Odawa Language and Legends: Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima, Blackbird's original 1887 book is followed by Kiogima's Odawa dictionary, grammar, translations of taped legends, and his own stories. This book is a resource for educators, historians, and all people interested in American Indian studies.

Jesus never wrote a book. Most scholars assume that information about Jesus was preserved only orally up until the writing of the Gospels, allowing ample time for the stories of Jesus to grow and diversify. Alan Millard here argues that written reports about Jesus could have been made during his lifetime and that some among his audiences and followers may very well have kept notes, first-hand documents that the Evangelists could weave into their narratives.

From "appetite" to "liberty," the Bible has been one of the richest sources for introducing words and concepts into the English language. Even the names of the biblical books, from "Genesis" to "Revelation," have enlarged the English vocabulary. Not only did hundreds of words come into English when biblical translators used them, but so did dozens of now common phrases, from "blood money" to "salt of the earth." The authors cite chapter and verse and trace the words right up to today's headlines. Each entry is a window onto the often-forgotten biblical story that gave rise to the word. Arranged from A to Z, and reader-friendly regardless of faith, the book offers entries about biblical words and phrases that have moved into the general culture. Included is a brief chronology of the English translations of the Bible as well as indexes for source and translator.

The editors have assembled here 55 key articles and notes by the well-known Harvard professor, organizing them under the categories Palaeography, Transjordanian Epigraphy, Hebrew Inscriptions, Aramaic Texts, and Old Canaanite and Phoenician Inscriptions. These essays, scattered in journals and various books, have now been brought together in one volume for easy access and attest to the life-long interest and contributions of one of the best-known epigraphers and palaeographers of the last 50 years.The appearance of Cross' "Leaves from an Epigrapher's Notebook" is the latest offering in the "Harvard Semitic Studies" series. This work carries on the rigorous standards of scholarship for which the series is known. Offerings such as "The Hebrew of the Dead Sea Scrolls", "Israelite Religion in the Light of Hebrew Inscriptions", and "A Grammar of Akkadian" attest to the outstanding scholarship found in the series.As one of the foremost scholars working in paleography and epigraphy, Cross needs little introduction to the readers of this journal. He is one of the foremost Semiticists of our time...While not everyone (e.g., Mendenhall, Helck) will agree with the import of scholarship in this volume, it nonetheless elucidates the history of its subject matter very fittingly...the book is the essential collection of a great many articles that otherwise would have to be gathered by the individual researcher. I highly recommend it for any graduate course in West Semitic paleography or epigraphy. Budding epigraphists cannot afford to be without this summary of a great scholar's work.