Choice Review

These very fine essays by eminent scholars from academia and museums present brief but thoughtful examinations of various aspects of Islamic painting. Although the majority of the papers are on Persian painting, there are several that are not: an excellent essay on an Ottoman-Turkish manuscript (M. Rogers); scrutiny of a Koran by a Turkish calligrapher (F. Cagman); various aspects of central Asian paintings presented by L. Dodkhudoeva and A.S Melikian-Chirvani in separate essays. The studies that examine issues relating to Persian painting are varied as well--topics include an inquiry into the technique of drawings (S. Canby); examinations of inscriptions and seals added to manuscripts (A. Adamova); the question of authorship of paintings in a set of historical volumes (A. Ivanov); the images of the prophet of Islam in an early-14th-century manuscript (R. Hillenbrand); commentaries on single manuscripts (P. Soucek and M.S. Simpson); and analyses of the work of individual artists (M.L. Swietochowski and S.C. Welch). Each essay is followed by a commendable bibliography and a large number of illustrations, most in color. This collection is certainly worthy of the exemplary scholarship of Basil Robinson to whom this volume is dedicated. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. U. U. Bates CUNY Hunter College