A new collection on paleography has been published (co-edited by a professor of mine, Dr Judith Pfeiffer), entitled Theoretical Approaches to the Transmission and Edition of Oriental Manuscripts. The work itself seems most helpful, and also contains an excellent bibliography for people just beginning in the field.

The following footnote in one chapter also provides a title for those interested in the history of publishing of Arabic works:

On the foundation of presses in Egypt, see al-Tanahi, Mahmud Muhammad 1984: Madkhal ilā tārīkh nashr al-turāth al-ʿarabī, Cairo, 31-58. The Book also contains short sections on most other countries of the Arab world. The famous press at Bulaq in Cairo began to print in Arabic characters in 1821, but did not begin publishing books until 1872 (p. 32). The press in Beirut began to publish earlier, in 1834 (The American Press) and 1854 (The Catholic Press) (p. 29).

-- Wadad al-Qadi, "How 'Sacred' is the Text of an Arabic Medieval Manuscript?: The Complex Choices of the Editor-Scholar", in Theoretical Approaches to the Transmission and Edition of Oriental Manuscripts. Eds. Judith Pfeiffer and Manfred Kropp. Würzburg: Ergon Verlag, 2007, pp. 13-53, ff.

Academic writing usually takes the form of an essay, an argument, a thesis. But sometimes it's important to just jot down something that you've come across; it might not seem particularly meaningful today, but may after a few more jots, the connections will be made.

This is my online academic jot-notebook. Of course, I have offline ones as well. But sometimes people who are interested in things that I'm interested in have also been intersted in my jottings, as I am in theirs.

You might wonder why someone doing academic work in medieval oriental studies would want to put the nitty-gritty of his research onlne for the world to see. Besides it being uninteresting to the majority of humanity, aren't you afraid that someone will steal your thoughts? And aren't these kind of things usually in journals and over-priced or dusty old books, anyways?

As to the first part, it is obviously important to me, and important to those who know its importance. As to the second part, the answer -- in short -- is no: I am not afraid of intellectual theft. Why? Firstly, most of what is on here is information; knowledge takes more. Secondly, I do not work for industry: my research is in the humanities, and -- though one day I might be proven wrong -- I'd like to think that research in the humanities is meant for humans to learn from and reflect upon. I'd simply like to use this technology to make that a little more possible to a few more people. Books and peer-reviewed journals aren't going away, but I feel that the academic weblog/website is a publishing medium that -- keeping its limitations and possible pitfalls in mind -- has its place in the development of ideas, and the diffusion of information. Bismillah.