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early printing and manuscripts of the Islamic world
N. G. McBurney
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"Kabīkaj is the name of a plant (Gr. Batrakhion, Lt. Ranunculus Asiaticus – ‘Little Asiatic Frog’), popularly referred to as Persian buttercup or crowfoot... This word, with its numerous varieties (kabīchak, kaykataj, kabkaj, kaykaj, akīkanj, kanīnkaj) came to be used in invocations against worms and insects (Gacek 1987). The word often appears on its own (cf. Tab. 34e) or is preceded by the particle yā (yā kabīkaj – ‘o kabīkaj’)." Adam Gacek, Arabic Manuscripts: a vademecum for readers (2009), p.137.
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Dear friends, clients, and colleagues,
I'm delighted to be working with a book and paper conservator, Abby Bainbridge (Bainbridge Conservation), on a joint research project and would hugely appreciate any information you're able to share with us.
We are searching for kabikaj inscriptions in books to better understand when and where they were used, to inform a paper we will present at Care & Conservation of Manuscripts 20 in April this year.
We would be grateful, if you know of any inscriptions in your collections, if you could report them in our survey, filling in as many fields as possible. You can fill out the survey multiple times for more than one reference but we understand that surveys take time and will be grateful for any responses provided!
Replies do not need to be in English.
Please use whatever language is easiest for you.
The results of this survey will also be collated against our surveys of selected single-owner Islamic manuscript collections acquired by British institutions in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, intended to provide latest possible date ranges for these inscriptions, which are rarely dated.
We would be happy to share the collected data more widely after our paper is presented and hope the results will provide groundwork for anyone else interested in this subject in future.
Questions? Please email:
Abby Bainbridge: bainbridg...@gmail.com (conservator)
Nick McBurney: ni...@ngmcburney.com (bookseller)
Apologies for any duplication in advance - please do share this email and survey widely.
With all best wishes,
Nick McBurney
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Detail showing a kabikaj inscription from MS A 69 (folio.1a), National Library of Medicine (Bethesda). This is an Arabic manuscript completed in 1269 CE. The manuscript was purchased from A. S. Yahuda in 1941. The inscription is undated and attributed to a "later" owner.
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Copyright © 2025 N. G. McBurney, All rights reserved.
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My mailing address is:
N. G. McBurneyBox 151 88 Lower Marsh London, London SE1 7AB United Kingdom |
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