Even Briefer

Genizah Research After Ninety Years: The Case of Judaeo-Arabic

ed. Joshua Blau and Stefan C. Reif (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1992)

Contains 27 articles on the language and literature of Judaeo-Arabic, particularly as reflected in the Genizah documents. Since Solomon Schechter brought 140,000 fragments of ancient manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah to Cambridge University in 1897, scholars have found them an invaluable source of information on previously lost texts, Jewish thought and customs, and dissident Jewish sects. First presented at the Society for Judaeo-Arabic Studies’ third congress in 1987, the papers cover subjects that include technical examinations of the earliest medieval Hebrew grammarians, Arabic influences on the structure of Hebrew poetry and Jewish legend, medical texts and magic.

Reading Egyptian Art: A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian Painting and Sculpture

Richard Wilkinson (Thames and Hudson, 1992)

Identifies the origin and use of the 100 hieroglyphs used most often in Egyptian painting and sculpture in an easily accessible format for the nonspecialist. The reader locates a particular sign by shape on the table of contents, which groups the hieroglyphs by theme in 26 categories such as humans, ships and fish. The text explains the sign using examples from Egyptian art and manuscripts. Study aids include a glossary of Egyptian terms, a basic bibliography and 450 drawings and photographs.

Bible Animals