Betrifft die Handschriften Codd. 350 (S. 458), 727, 731 (beide S. 283), 732 (S. 114), 733 (S. 283), 754, 763, 789 (alle drei S. 114), 790 (S. 89), 792 (S. 114), 811 (S. 458), 813 (S. 372), 820 (S. 89) und B 49 (S. 114) der Burgerbibliothek Bern.

The collection of 41 treatises in 26 Oriental manuscripts now at St John's College, Oxford, reflect the varying ways in which Europeans have sought to make themselves familiar with the cultures of the East. Acquired between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, most are Arabic or Persian, but there are also Syriac, Hebrew, Turkish, Ethiopic, and Gujarati items. No mere catalogue, it includes an essay by Geert Jan van Gelder, the present Laudian Professor of Arabic, University of Oxford on the Arabic poetry that owners over the years jotted down on the margins, and is lavishly illustrated with 37 examples of calligraphy, diagrams, and illuminations.The catalogue provides a detailed description of every item within each manuscript. Most of the manuscript volumes were acquired through the donation of Archbishop William Laud (d. 1645), founder of the Chair of Arabic which bears his name. Several of his volumes were acquired from the traveller and adventurer Sir Kenelm Digby (d.1665), who bought them in Amsterdam, possibly on Laud's behalf. They are an interestingly varied collection, including Qur'ans and Arabic and Persian treatises on astronomical, mathematical, and military subjects. A bi-lingual Hebrew-Latin manuscript, as well as Arabic astronomical tables, came through the donation of Edward Bernard, Savilian Professor of Astronomy from 1673 to 1691. Six more manuscripts were given to the College in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including an Ottoman Turkish letter, a Gujarati merchant's map, and two Hebrew thirteenth-century deeds of conveyance collected by the antiquary John Pointer (d. 1754), one-time chaplain of Merton College, Oxford.

Middle East Sources provides an invaluable resource for the busy librarian, student or scholar with Middle Eastern interests. It aims to guide readers to the major collections of books and other materials on the subject in the UK and Ireland, as well as to some lesser known but nonetheless interesting collections in smaller libraries. Entries are fully up to date and include information on addresses (including telephone, fax and e-mail details), brief descriptions of collections held, along with references to relevant catalogue material and other directories. The guide also highlights the extent of collections and gives help in accessing. The MELCOM Area Specialisation Scheme (MASS) designation of the collections is also included where relevant.

This is a comprehensive directory and bibliographic guide to Russian archives and manuscript repositories in the capital cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is an essential resource for any researcher interested in Russian sources for topics in diplomatic, military, and church history; art; dance; film; literature; science; ethnolography; and geography. The first part lists general bibliographies of relevant reference literature, directories, bibliographic works, and specialized subject-related sources. In the following sections of the directory, archival listings are grouped in institutional categories. Coverage includes federal, ministerial, agency, presidential, local, university, Academy of Sciences, organizational, library, and museum holdings. Individual entries include the name of the repository (in Russian and English), basic information on location, staffing, institutional history, holdings, access, and finding aids. More comprehensive and up-to-date than the 1997 Russian Version, this edition includes Web-site information, dozens of additional repositories, several hundred more bibliographical entries, coverage of reorganization issues, four indexes, and a glossary.