ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSINTRODUCTIONBooks as material cultureThe technique of Islamic bookbindingA biased opinionUnderstanding in order to preserveA codicological framework Physical examination of the Leiden collectionsThe contextThe anatomy of the Islamic codexComparative study of the literatureSurveying the collectionsTerminologyPart One MATERIALITY MATTERSA detailed sketch of the current state of knowledge and outline of the researchThe information value of binding structuresGeneral observationsRecent developments in Western book historyBook archaeology and digitisationPreservation issuesPresent situation of the book archaeology of Islamic manuscriptsDisadvantages in developmentsThe position of book archaeology and the consequences for preservationObstacles in the study of Islamic book makingDecorationInkPaperTextblockLinking physical analysis, catalogue data and literatureBrief outline of the primary and secondary literatureThe predominant Islamic manuscript typeThe need for a typologyPoint of departure for the surveySelection and justification of the corpusThe Islamic collections in LeidenCriteria for selecting bindingsPossibilities and restrictions Part Two THE ANATOMY OF THE ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTA detailed overview of the different methods of constructionVocabulary and images as toolsTerminologyIllustrations Techniques used to construct the textblockLink-stitch sewingStabbed sewingSewing on supportsThe primary endband sewingThe dual function of the spine-liningUnsewn manuscripts with wrapper bindingsCovering and board attachmentFull leather bindings and the use of the two-pieces technique''Built-on'' bindingsTabbed spinesTabbed partial leather bindingsTabbed ''two-pieces''Indeterminate structureA problematic term: Case-bindingA matter of definitionCounter-evidence in the structureThe dual function of the spine-liningMisjudgement caused by a Western perspectiveThe impact of a leading opinionOther characteristicsBoardsThe fore-edge flapThe envelope flapDecorative structural elementsPage-markersCharacteristically tabbed spinesEndband characteristicsMeaning and validity of the diversityPart Three COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE HISTORIC SOURCES AND RECENT LITERATURE ON THE MAKING OF ISLAMIC MANUSCRIPTSHistoric sourcesIntroductory remarksIbn BadisBakr al-IshbiliAl-Malik Al-MuzaffarIbn Abi HamidahAl-SufyaniConcluding observationsSecondary sources: related studies and general reference worksBook historians, art-historians and pioneers of manuscript studiesGlossaries and encyclopaediasFounders of our knowledge of the use of structure and materials in Islamic bookmakingBoschDérocheGacekStructure as a starting pointSzirmaiMerianFischerEspejo and BenyStructure as a side issueRaby and TanindiHaldanePorterGruberMillerD''OttoneAn assortment of (mis)perceptionsStructure as a conservation issueThe eighties and nineties of the twentieth centuryThe first decade of the twenty-first centuryModel making practiceThe sum of the partsPart Four MULTIPLICITY WITHIN THE TRADITIONAccount of the methodology and quantitative results of the surveyMethodologyGeneral procedureExplanation of the database and form designThe Malay collectionExcluded textblock features Exclusion of binding decorationExcluded binding featuresExcluded categoriesConsiderations regarding the degree of validity of the findingsSurvey results - quantitative analysisDatable and localisable manuscripts SewingSpine-liningEndbandsCoveringTreatment of the spine at head and tailFore-edge and envelope flapInner jointsDoublures and endleavesBindings without paste-paper boardsOblong bindings, page-markers and other phenomenaIn conclusionPart Five MAPPING THE VARIATIONS IN TIME AND PLACEDatable and localisable features and a further interpretation of the findingsSewingThe ratio of the different sewing structuresThe traditional link-stitch sewing with sewn-on leather doubluresTraditional link-stitch sewing on more than two stationsA diverging link-stitch sewing on three or more stationsSewing on supportsStabbed sewingsTacketsUnsewn manuscriptsSpine-liningMaterialFunctionEndbandingPatternsTiedownsEndband coresThe saw-cut endbandAbsence of endbandsCoveringFull and partial leatherFull leather bindings in one and two piecesComposite leather bindingsLimp leather bindingsPartial leather bindings: the çaharkuse bindingPartial leather bindings: lacquer bindingsPartial leather bindings: the paper bindingRelation to contentBoardsSpine-endingsTabbed spines Cut flush with the textblock Turned-in spine-ends Interior covering of the boards Doublures Endleaf structures Inner joints The lining of the fore-edge flap The evelope and fore-edge flap Miscellaneous features Decorated paperPage-markersSize and formatSoutheast Asia as a sub-category in the Islamic traditionSummaryPart Six CONSIDERATIONS AND NEW PERSPECTIVESRecapitulationDevelopment of the tradition The archetypal Islamic manuscript structure and binding A varied repertoire Transmission of techniques and methods The complex nineteenth century The transition to printed books A profile of the repairs Discussion The perception of Islamic bookmaking from a Western perspective Observation and experimentation The impracticability or drawbacks of a typology Further study Conclusion An adjusted identity Implications for conservators BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDICES I. Glossary II. Corpus III. Example of a record of the database IV. List of manuscripts used in illustrations INDEX.