MY BOOKSHELF

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Below you will find a broad range of reading material and visual design resources relating to Islamic and traditional arts that I have collected.  Some I have read cover to cover and go back to all the time, others I peruse for ideas and inspiration and many of them I am still making my way through.  

LAST UPDATED: October 2016.  Books highlighted in bold are recommended for beginners. (All links open in a new window.)

ISLAMIC Pattern, ART & ARCHITECTURE

• Arts & Crafts of the Islamic Lands - Principles Materials Practise, Khaled Azzam & The Prince's School of Traditional Arts - 2015, (Thames & Hudson). A practical guide which includes excellent chapters on geometry and islimi.

• The Minbar of Saladin: Reconstructing a Jewel of Islamic Art, Lynette Singer - 2008, (Thames & Hudson)

• Arab Art, Emile Prisse D'Avennes - 2011, (Taschen)

• The Majesty of Mughal Decoration: The Art and Architecture of Islamic India, George Michell - 2007, (Thames & Hudson)

• Zillij: Art of Moroccan Ceramics, John Hedgecoe & Salma Samur Damluji - 1992 (Garnet Publishing Ltd.)

• The Glory of Cairo: An Illustrated History, Andre Raymond - 2002 (The American University Press in Cairo)

• Islamic Art & Architecture: Memories of Seljuk & Ottoman Masterpieces, Laurelie Rae - 2015 (Blue Dome Press)

• Ink Silk & Gold: Islamic Art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Laura Weinstein & Emine Fetvaci - 2015 (MFA Publications)

• An Illustrated History of Islamic Art & Design: An Expert Introduction to Islamic Art, Moya Carey - 2012 (Southwater)

• Islamic Designs, Ewa Wilson - 1988 (British Museum Press)

• Persian Designs (Pepin Patterns, Designs and Graphic Themes), 2008 (Agile Rabbit)

• Islamic Design, Dover Publications Inc, 2004

• Turkish Motifs, Cahide Keskiner -7th edition 2007 (Turkish Touring and Automobile Association)

 Geometry

• Islamic Design: A Genius for Geometry, Daud Sutton - 2007, (Wooden Books)

• Sacred Geometry, Miranda Lundy - 2000, (Wooden Books)

• Ruler & Compass, Andrew Sutton - 2009, (Wooden Books)

• Drawing Geometry: A Primer of Basic Forms for Artists, Designers and Architects, Jon Allen - 2007, (Floris Books)

• Making Geometry: Exploring Three-dimensional Forms, Jon Allen - 2012, (Floris Books)

• Islamic Patterns: An Analytical and Cosmological Approach, Keith Critchlow - 1983, (Thames & Hudson)

• Geometric Concepts in Islamic Art, Issam El-Said - 1976, (Scorpion Cavendish Ltd.)

• Islamic Art and Architecture: System of Geometric Design, Issam El-Said - Edited by Tarik El Bouri & Keith Critchlow 1998, (Garnet Publishing Ltd.)

• Arabic Geometrical Pattern and Design, J Bourgoin - 1974, (Dover Publications)

• Sacred Geometry: Philosophy and Practice, Robert Lawlor - 1982, (Thames & Hudson)

• How the World Is Made: The Story of Creation According to Sacred Geometry, John Michell - 2012, (Thames & Hudson)

• The Hidden Geometry of Flowers: Living Rhythms, Form and Number, Keith Critchlow - 2011, (Floris Books)

• Islamic Geometric Design, Eric Broug - 2013, (Thames & Hudson)

• Islimi / Arabesque

• Motifler Türk Tezyini Sanatlarinda (Turkish), Inci A. Birol Çiçek Derman - 2005 (Kubbealti Nesriyati Yayincilik)

• Türk Tezyini Sanatlarinda Desen Tasarimi: Cizim Teknigi ve C esitleri (Turkish), Inci A. Birol - 2010 (Kubbealti Nesriyati Yayincilik)

• Türk Sanatinda Tezhip, Ilhan Özkececi & Bilge Özkececi - 2014 (Yazigen Yayinevi)

• Iranian Garden: Golden Twist, M.R. Honavar - (Yassavoli Publications, Tehran)

• The Step by Step Intruction of Khataei Movement in the Carpet Designing and Illumination Art (English & Farsi), M.R. Honavar - 2004 (Yassavoli Publications, Tehran)

• Khataei Decorative Designs: In The Illumination and and Carpet Designing (English & Farsi), Amir-Houshang Aghamiri - 2004, (Yassavoli Publications, Tehran)

• Instruction & Application of Margins in the Illumination, (English & Farsi) A.H. Aghamiri - 2007-2011 (Yassavoli Publications)

• V&A Pattern: Indian Florals, Sue Stronge - 2009 (V&A Publishing)

• Curves: Flowers, Foliates & Flourishes in The Formal Decorative Arts (Wooden Books), Lisa DeLong - 2013, (Wooden Books)

Calligraphy, IlluminatioN & Miniatures

• Splendours of Qur'an Calligraphy & Illumination, Martin Lings - 2005, (Islamicus Thesaurus Foundation)

• Manuscripts of the Holy Quran from the Mamluk Era, David James

• Islamic Art of Illumination: Classical Tazhib from Ottoman to Contemporary Times, Sema Onat - 2015 (Blue Dome Press)Culture, spirituality & philosophy

• Geometry in Gold: An Illuminated Mamluk Qu'ran Section, Marcus Fraser - 2005, (Sam Fogg Rare Books)

• Ink and Gold: Masterpieces of Islamic Calligraphy, Marcus Fraser - 2006, (Sam Fogg)

• Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, Scot McKendrick, John Lowden, Kathleen Doyle - 2011 (The British Library Publishing Division)

• A History of Illuminated Manuscripts, Christopher De Hamel - 1997 (Phaidon Press)

• The British Library Guide to Manuscript Illumination: History and Techniques, Christopher De Hamel - 2001 (The British Library Publishing Division)

• The Encyclopedia of Calligraphy and Illuminated Letters, Janet Mehigan & Mary Noble - 2005 (Search Press Ltd.)

• Illumination, Patricia Lovett - 2015 (L. Cornelissen & Sons)

• The Art of Illuminated Letters, Noad & Seligman - 1994 (Headline Book Publishing)

• The Bible of Illuminated Letters: A Treasury of Decorative Calligraphy, Margaret Morgan - 2006 (Barron's Educational Series)

• Celtic Art: The Methods of Construction, George Bain - 1996 (Constable)

• Celtic Knotwork, Iain Bain - 1992 (Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.)

• The Materials and Techniques of Medieval Painting, Daniel Thompson - 2003 (Dover Art Instruction)

• Mughal Miniatures, J.M. Rogers - 2006 (British Museum Press)

• Wonder of the Age: Master Painters of India, 1100-1900, John Guy & Jorrit Britschgi - 2011 (Yale University Press)

• Paintings from Mughal India, Andrew Topsfield - 2013 (The Bodleian Library)

• Mughal India: Art, Culture and Empire, J.P. Losty & Malini Roy - 2012 (The British Library Publishing Division)

• The Materials, Methods & Symbolism in Pichhvai Painting Tradition of Rajasthan, Desmond Peter Lazaro - 2005 (Grantha Corporation)

History, Culture & Spirituality

• Art of Islam: Language and Meaning, Titus Burkhardt - 2009, (World Wisdom)

• Symbol and Archetype: A Study of the Meaning of Existence, Martin Lings - 2006, (Fons Vitae)

• Islamic Art and Spirituality, Seyyed Hossein Nasr - 1987 (State University of New York Press)

• The Fabric of India, Rosemary Crill - 2015 (V&A Publishing)

• The Spirit of Indian Painting: Close Encounters with 101 Great Works, B.N. Goswamy - 2016, (Thames and Hudson)