It was purely by chance that I saw an excerpt of this bookseller’s catalogue. I was enthralled and amazed by this time capsule of a highly literate Arab world revealing a lively interest in anything from the profound to the bawdy.

‘In late 10th-century Baghdad, a bookseller named Ibn al-Nadim (d. c 998) created a catalogue of his holdings. His collection was extensive, covering a vast world of literary output with texts on Arabic grammar and lexicography, history and biography, law and tradition, philosophy, mathematics, medicine, romances, magic, and alchemy, to name just a few. His list, named Kitāb al-Fihr, Book of Lists.’

Book of Lists, Kitab al Fihrist, 2015, book edition 7 plus 1 A/P
Grey board bound, 20 x 24 cm
8 sheets of which 4 text and 5 etching
Grey end papers
Hand bound and printed by the artist
Printed on Fabriano Satinato 200 grms
Text printed by Walden Studios

In December 2015 The V&A National Art Library acquired the book for their collection.

Displaced, Altered book, unique copy, 2014, 18,5 x 12,5 cm
8 sheets in total, 3 text with 10 collage images in black and red
Hand bound and printed by the artist
Printed on Fabriano Satinato 200 grms.