8vo. [12 pp., contents], 335 pp., Arabic lithographed text within border, modern hard back binding, paper slightly browned, few ink inscriptions on margins, some foxing at the preliminary & last pages, Boulaq Printing, 1284 A. H./ 1858.

Synopsis

Al-Watwat (1235-1318), lived all his life in Mamluk Egypt. Unlike other writers of his era, he did not belong to the circle of the Mamluk administration. He was a wealthy bookseller (hence his names Al-Kutubi, ‘the Bookseller’ and Al-Warraq, ‘the Paper-seller’) and a celebrated compiler. According to his contemporary Al-Safdi (d. 1363), “he had a great knowledge of books and their value”.
Al-Watwat’s best-known two works are Mabahij al-Fikar wa Manahij al-‘Ibar [The joys of ideas and the methods of lessons], and this book, Ghurar al-Khawas…