Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 856Origin: Lacks dated colophon ; paper, etc. would suggest late 18th century though excerpt on p.78 (which appears to be a later addition) reports an event dated to 11 Jumādá II 1236 [ca. 16 March 1821] and would thus have been entered after that date.Accompanying materials: a. Slip with description (in hand of E. Husselman ?) "Muḥammad Emin, Effendi. | Inshā | Many Insha's in BMCat. of Turk. MSS. but not this. nf. in U of M MSS" (paginated pp.1-2) -- b. Slip with notes in hand of Eleazar Birnbaum "Compiler: MEḤMED EMĪN efendi, died near end of 1184 AH (Jan-Mar 1771) | Title: [INŞA or MÜNŞEʼĀT] | In Ottoman Turkish | A collection of stylistic pieces compiled by Mehmed Emīn from documents while he was secretary to DURRĪ Meḥmed efendi | Eleazar Birnbaum JUNE 17 1964" (paginated pp.3-4).Former shelfmark: Mich. Isl. Ms. temp. no. 5Binding: Pasteboards covered in dark brown leather ; Type III binding (without flap) ; board linings in untinted laid paper, hinges in marbled paper (mainly blue and white) ; upper and lower covers carry tooled and gold painted borders in a series of s-shaped stamps with defining fillets ; label on upper cover carries title and script ("منشات تعليق") ; originally sewn in pale yellow thread, two stations, failed or failing with some gatherings now reinforced in black or white thread, gatherings loose ; endbands virtually gone with only traces of primaries ; overall in somewhat poor condition with lifting and losses of spine leather, abrasion, staining, etc.Support: European laid paper with 12 laid lines per cm. (vertical), chain lines spaced 21 mm. apart (horizontal) and watermarks of lion rampant on ball in scrollwork (see p.8, 10, 14, 15, 74, 75, etc.), another lion rampant in scrollwork (see p.72, 77, etc.) and "DV" alone (see p.12, 18, 28, 41, etc.) and under diadem (see p.66 and 83 and compare Nikolaev no.569 with three crescents dated 1773) ; thin and transluscent though sturdy, buff to pale yellow in color, well-sized and burnished.Decoration: Fine illuminated headpiece (ʻuwnān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.6 consisting of scalloped w-shaped piece filled with floral vegetal decoration in gold, pink and green, surmounted by vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue and red ; written area of incipit and facing page surrounded by gold frame, elsewhere written area surrounded by red rule-border ; overlining (section headings, etc.) in red.Script: Nastaʻlīq (talik) ; fine Turkish hand ; serifless with marked effect of tilt to the right and slight effect of words descending to baseline, elongation and somewhat exaggerated thickness of horizontal strokes, mainly closed counters.Layout: Written in 21 line per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: 4 V(40) ; exclusively quinions ; final leaves ruled but left blank ; catchwords present ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (include inserts).Incipit: "طرح افكن نو زمين علم انشا اعجاز نماى طرق حسن بيان واملا بيكيوز سكسن درت سنه سى اواخرنده اناطولى صدارندن منفصلا واصل رحمت ربانى اولان اديب كامل بليغ كريم الخصائل عاطف محمد امين افندى جنابلريكه اوائل زمان محمود خانيده متكا پیراى مشيخت اسلاميه مرحوم مغفور له درى محمد افندى حضرتلرينك مدت معلومه مكتوبجيلر يكن جمع وترتيب اولنان منشأت بديعه ..."Title from inscription on 'title page' (p.5).Ms. codex.Fine copy of a collection of letters compiled by Atıf Mehmet Emin Efendi (d.1771) while he served as secretary (mektupçu / مكتوبجى) for şeyhülislam Dürri Mehmet Efendi (d.1736) during the early part of the reign of Mahmut I (r.1730-1754) (see opening matter on p.6). For another copy compare Isl. Ms. 420.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 420Origin: Lacks dated colophon though decoration, hand, etc. would suggest 18th century and date of composition, author's dates and dated seal impressions [including one possibly for the author] would suggest mid to late 18th century. Hikaye-yi garibe likely added later.Binding: Pasteboards (both now almost entirely delaminated) covered in dark red leather ; Type II binding (with flap, though now lost) ; doublures in dark brown leather, hinges and flyleaves in fine marbled paper (in red, dark blue, light blue-green), flyleaves gold-flecked ; upper and lower covers carry large stamped and gold-painted mandorla (filled with vegetal composition, compare Déroche class. OAi) and pendants accented with gold-painted strokes, as well as gold-painted and tooled borders in rows of s-shaped stamps defined by gold fillets ; sewn in dark blue thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in pink and yellow, damaged with headband virtually gone, tailband detaching ; overall in poor condition with boards delaminated to individual leaves, flap lost, cover detached from text block at spine, abrasion, lifting and losses of leather (upper cover, exposing boards, and spine in particular), staining, etc.Support: non-European (likely Persian) laid paper of perhaps several types ; mainly with 8-9 laid lines per cm. (horizontal or vertical, curving, somewhat indistinct) and no chain lines plainly visible, cloudy formation, thin and trasluscent, well-sized and burnished ; another type with roughly 7 laid lines per cm. and chain lines in pairs (see p.186, etc.) ; some staining ; bifolium in each quire silver-flecked (see pp.85-86, 99-100, etc.).Decoration: Exquisite illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.4 consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche flanked by delicate floral designs on fields of gold and dark blue, surmounted by a w-shaped piece overlaid with similar swirling floral designs in light blue, pink, orange, gold, etc. on grounds of gold and dark blue / cobalt, itself surmounted by vertical stalks in dark blue with gold and red accents, all set in a well of heavy gold and black interlace with outermost pink band ; written area of opening work surrounded by a heavy gold frame defined by black fillets ; headings and some keywords rubricated ; textual dividers mainly in the form of inverted commas in red, though two exquisitely executed rosettes appear on incipit page (p.4).Script: Nastaʻlīq (talik) ; two elegant Ottoman hands ; opening work (through p.125) a large, clear hand in a medium line, serifless with slight effect of words descending to baseline, some elongation and thickening of horizontal strokes, many open counters, pointing mainly in conjoined dots or strokes, bowl of final nūn wide with point set down within ; second work (pp.130-166) in a compact, delicate hand in a fine line, serifless with very slight effect of words descending to baseline, elongation of horizontal strokes, pointing mainly in conjoined dots or strokes, bowl of final nūn wide with point set down within.Layout: Written in as many as 17 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: i, 6 V(60), V+1 (71), IV (79), III (85), IV+1 (94), i ; chiefly quinions ; final leaves left blank (pp.167-190) ; catchwords present ; lacunae (typically the space of a single line) left between sections of opening work, likely for rubricated headings ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization (includes flyleaves).Incipit: [Münşeat] "كوكب درى سپهر علم وكمال خورشيد منير فلك عز وجلال مفتى الانام شيخ مشايخ الاسلام مرحوم ومغفور له درى محمد افندى حضرتلرينك ... انتظام احوال مكه مكرمه خبرينى متضمن شريف حضرتلرى طرفندن وارد اولان مكتوبك جوابنامه سيدر سلام المنان السبحانى المتلو بلسان سبحانى الذى تطمئن بذكره القلوب وتنزل من حضرات الغيوب ..." ; [Hikaye-yi garibe] "تاب اوران مرايى فهم وعقول وپرایه بندان غوانى روايات ونقول ..."Title supplied by cataloguer from inscription on p.127.Ms. composite codex.4. p.167-p.190 : [blank].3. p.130-p.166 : [Hikaye-yi garibe].2. p.126-p.129 : [originally left blank].1. p.4-p.125 : Münşeat-i Atıf Efendi / Atıf Mehmet Emin Efendi.Elegant copy of what appears to be a collection of letters compiled by Atıf Mehmet Emin Efendi (d.1771) mainly while he served as secretary (mektupçu / مكتوبجى) for şeyhülislam Dürri Mehmet Efendi (d.1736) during the early part of the reign of Mahmut I (r.1730-1754), compare Isl. Ms. 856. Followed (in a later addition) by Hikaye-yi garibe.
Shelfmark: Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Special Collections Research Center Isl. Ms. 382Origin: As appears in colophon on p.625, copied by ʻAbd Allāh al-Shahrī [?] ibn Muḥammad (Abdullah eş-Şehri bin Mehmet) with transcription completed 2 [?] Dhū al-Ḥijjah 1181 [ca. 20 April 1768].Former shelfmark: "457 T. De M. [i.e. Tammaro De Marinis]" inscribed in pencil on 'title page' (p.1).Binding: Pasteboards faced in dark maroon and framed in dark brown leather (extending to edges/turn-ins, leather faced and edged framed binding) ; Type II binding (with flap), two-piece binding (seam of overlapping flanges visible at spine) ; board linings (doublures) in elegant marbled paper (in black, blue, dark green and red) ; upper and lower covers carry lozenge-shaped central ornament and pendants filled with gold-tooled or incised and gold-filled vegetal composition on dark brown recessed onlays, along with tooled borders in gold ; now sewn in white thread, two stations ; worked chevron endbands in yellow and light blue, good condition ; overall in fairly good condition with some abrasion, staining, lifting of leather, spine slant (slightly cocked), etc. ; repairs to flap in red leather, small repair at head of fore edge flap in red leather, spine rebacked in red leather, and hinges rehinged.Support: non-European laid paper with 8 laid lines per cm. (mainly vertical, somewhat distinct, curved) and irregular, single chain lines occasionally visible (mainly horizontal), cloudy formation, sturdy, beige in color, well-burnished ; some staining ; small repairs (fills).Decoration: Elegant illuminated headpiece (ʻunwān / sarlawḥ) at opening on p.2, consisting of rectangular piece with empty gold cartouche flanked by floral motifs in gold with red and green accents, surmounted by scalloped w-shaped piece filled with swirling floral vegetal composition mainly in gold, with red, green, and pink accents on fields of gold and dark blue, itself surmounted by elaborate vertical stalks (tīgh) in blue, entire piece set in a well consisting of bands of pink with red accents, light blue with dark blue accents, and gold interlace ; another illuminated headpiece (dome) at opening of second section on p.294 ; written area surrounded by heavy gold frame defined by black fillets, divisions within (poetic passages, etc.) defined by narrow gold bands outlined by black fillets ; section headings and keywords rubricated.Script: Naskh ; clear, compact Turkish hand ; partially but irregularly serifed with small teardrop head-serifs on occasional ascender (lām, ṭāʼ even alif) , slight effect of tilt to the left, many closed counters, pointing (for two and three dots) in conjoined dots or strokes, free assimilation of letters.Layout: Written in 25 lines per page ; frame-ruled.Collation: 31 V(310), II (314) ; almost exclusively quinions followed by a binion ; catchwords present ; foliation in black ink, Hindu-Arabic numerals, often cut off ; pagination in pencil, Western numerals, supplied during digitization.Colophon: "Scribal," triangular, reads "قد وقع الفراغ عن يد الضعيف عبد الله الشهرى بن محمد غفر الله ذنوبهما ولجميع المؤمنين والمؤمنات لسنه ۱۱۸۱ ذا الحجه فى يوم ٢ [؟] تم"Explicit: "وهدايت صمدانيه سن بدرقۀ طريق ايليه آمين بحرمة الانبياء والمرسلين والحمد لله على الاتمام والصلوة والسلام على نبيۀ سيد الانام وعلى اله واصحابه الكرام ومن تبعهم باحسان الى يوم القيام"Incipit: "يا رب بو رياض ايچره زلال كرمكله بو تازه قلم اشلمه سن بارور ايله"Title supplied by cataloguer.Ms. codex.Elegant copy of the official Ottoman history covering the years 1157-1165 (1744-1752) composed by official historiographer (vak'anüvîs / vakanüvîs), Süleymân İzzî (d.1755).