Inshā-yi Jāmī

Collection of writings of a 14th century classical Persian poet from Iran, with extensive explanatory notes. This lithographic print is a literary essay by Nūr al-Dīn 'Abd al-Rahmān Jāmī (1414-92), a great Persian poet, scholar, and mystic, who lived most of his life in Herat (present-day Afghanistan). The work is exceptional for being written in prose at a time when most fine Persian writing was in poetic form. Extensive commentary and critical notes are printed in the margins. There are also some handwritten notes in the margins, but most of these were lost when the work was rebound. Lithographic printing was invented in Europe in the late-18th century and spread widely on the Indian subcontinent from the early 19th century onward, its popularity stemming from the relative ease with which it could be used to reproduce different scripts not based on the Latin alphabet. World Digital Library.