The Gutenberg Museum in Mainz is at present home to a special exhibition on
MIDDLE EASTERN LANGUAGES AND THE PRINT REVOLUTION.
The 123 exhibits comprise the following:-
5 mediaeval Arabic block-prints (one also containing Coptic)
32 Arabic books & newspaper, 1505-1941
13 Armenian printed books & newspaper, 1512-1852
5 Coptic books, 1630-1901
14 Hebrew printed texts, 1492-1577, and reproduction of mediaeval Hebrew
block-print from Egypt
11 Persian books & newspaper, 1824-1937
6 Syriac books & periodical, 1555-1961
15 Turkish books & newspaper, 1729-1995
2 European incunables containing woodcut Arabic, Syriac, Coptic & Hebrew
A 16th-century panorama of Cairo with title in 9 languages
12 European type-specimens including M.E. founts, 1525-1818
6 sets of types, punches & matrices for Greek, Hebrew & Syriac, Antwerp
1523-69
There is also a display on the development of Linotype Arabic founts.
The exhibition is open until 3 November 2002. For information on the Museum
and its opening times, see http://www.gutenberg.de/museum.htm
The exhibits are all fully described and illustrated (many in colour) in a
catalogue and companion volume:
_Sprachen des Nahen Ostens und die Druckrevolution: eine interkulturelle
Begegnung = Middle Eastern languages and the print revolution: a
cross-cultural encounter_. Ed. Eva Hanebutt-Benz, Dagmar Glass & Geoffrey
Roper, in collaboration with Theo Smets. Westhofen: WVA-Verlag Skulima,
2002.
XXIV+555pp. ISBN: 3-936136-02-5 Price: Euros 128.-
In addition to the catalogue itself, this volume also contains the following
essays:-
HANEBUTT-BENZ, E.: The beginnings of letterpress printing in the West
HANEBUTT-BENZ, E.: Type specimens of Oriental scripts from European type
foundries
TAMARI, I.J.: Notes on the printing in Hebrew typefaces from the 15th to
19th centuries
PEHLIVANIAN, M.: Mesrop's heirs: the early Armenian book printers
COAKLEY, J.F.: Printing in Syriac, 1539-1985
ROPER, G. & TAIT, J.: Coptic typography: a brief sketch
SCHAEFER, K.: Arabic printing before Gutenberg - block-printed Arabic
amulets
ROPER, G.: Early Arabic printing in Europe
BOBZIN, H.: From Venice to Cairo: on the history of Arabic editions of the
Koran (16th - early 20th century)
GLASS, D. & ROPER, G.: The printing of Arabic books in the Arab world
GLASS, D.: Arabic newspapers and periodicals in the Arab world (1828-1928)
GABEYAN, H.: Modern developments in Arabic typesetting - a boom and a boon
NEUMANN, C.K.: Book and newspaper printing in Turkish, 18th-20th century
MARZOLPH, U.: Early printing history in Iran (1817 - ca.1900)
PISTOR-HATAM, A.: Beginnings of the Persian language press
In connection with the exhibition, and as part of the World Congresss for
Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES), a symposium on M.E. printing was held in
the Museum, 9-12 September 2002. 32 papers were given, on subjects ranging
from mediaeval printed documents to avant-garde digital founts, including
printing in Arabic, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Syriac, Tatar and Turkish; and
in Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Lebanon,
Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tatarstan, Turkey, Turkistan and
Zanzibar. Preliminary agreement has been reached to publish these in a
special volume next year.
Geoffrey Roper
Islamic Bibliography Unit
Cambridge University Library
