Publishers

One title can exist with six publishers, and those six copies are not equal: one is annotated and indexed, another reproduces the text with no critical apparatus, a third fits in one volume where the first runs to four. This section arranges the catalogue by publishing house, for readers who choose the edition first and the title second. For each work, the listing states the publisher, the year, the editorial work, the paper and the binding.

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Buying by publisher: why it changes everything

What you will find here: the catalogue arranged by publisher, to compare the available versions of one title.
Four houses to begin with: Dar al-Hijaz, Dar Ibn Hazm, Dar al-Salam and Dar al-Risala. Others will be added as stock arrives.
What every listing states: publisher, year, number of volumes, format, paper, binding, vocalisation, and the nature of the editorial work.
Everything is new and in Arabic: no translations, no bilingual editions, nothing second-hand.

What editorial work covers

Between two copies of the same work, the difference lies in what the publisher did with the text, and that does not show on a cover photograph.

Establishing the text comes first: which manuscripts or earlier editions the text rests on, and what the editor notes where the sources diverge. Then comes annotation: explanation of rare words, identification of the people cited, references for the texts reported. Then the apparatus for consultation: numbering, running heads, indexes of subjects and names, analytical table. It is this last point that separates a book one uses from a book one owns.

Finally, the making: quality and opacity of the paper, size of the characters, leading, sewn or glued binding. On a work opened every week for years, these choices weigh as much as the content.

When the publisher really matters, and when it matters less

It matters a great deal on works of consultation: collections of hadith, great works of tafsir, historical chronicles, multi-volume treatises of fiqh. Without an index or numbering, finding a passage becomes an expedition, and an edition without annotation leaves the reader alone with a technical vocabulary.

It matters less on short texts meant for memorisation, where what counts is that the edition is vocalised, legible and of manageable size. A forty-page matn calls for no critical apparatus.

Between the two lie works of continuous reading, where comfort prevails: characters large enough, paper that does not let the reverse show through, a supple binding that stays open without being forced.

Three habits before buying

First: look at the number of volumes. The same title in two volumes with one publisher and in six with another is not the same object. The second almost always has an apparatus of notes, and sometimes the commented text reproduced in full.

Second: if you study with a teacher or within a curriculum, take the edition your group uses. Page references never match from one edition to another.

Third: on sets, check that the whole comes from the same publisher and the same printing. Mixing two printings of one set gives volumes of differing heights and a pagination that does not follow.

Reading the origin of an edition

The country of publication is the first indication of how a book is made, and that is why it appears in the name of every page in this section. Here is how experienced buyers read it, with the understanding that exceptions exist in both directions.

Gulf editions, Saudi ones in particular, are generally the most carefully made: thick opaque paper, clean printing, sewn bindings, often thorough annotation. Lebanese editions follow closely, with consistent making and a long tradition of scholarly editing. Egyptian editions are the most uneven: some houses work as well as anyone, others print on thin paper with glued bindings. In return, the Egyptian price is often well below that of the same title elsewhere.

This guide does not replace reading the listing. An annotated and indexed Egyptian edition will serve better than a Gulf edition with no critical apparatus. Look at the country first, the characteristics next.

The countries represented

This section is organised by country of publication, because that is where the concrete differences lie: paper, vocalisation, critical apparatus, format. Three pages are open — Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia — and three more are waiting for their first titles: Syria, Kuwait and the UAE.

The houses available in the catalogue

Each house has its own page, setting out what we carry and what to check on its editions.

Egypt: Dar Al Hijaz, Dar As Salam, Dar Al Fajr, Dar Al Hadith and Dar Ibn Hazm (Egypt).

Lebanon: Dar Ibn Hazm and Dar Ar Risala.

Saudi Arabia: Dar Ibn Al Jawzi.

Two separate houses publish under the name Dar Ibn Hazm, one in Lebanon and one in Egypt. Each has its own page, because neither their catalogues nor their production overlap.

Buying by publisher from My Maktaba

Every work is new, in Arabic, in its original edition. If you are looking for a particular title in a particular edition, write to us with the title and the house you want: our network of booksellers covers most of the editions in circulation, including houses that do not yet appear in this section.

Why choose a book by its publisher?

Because one title often exists with several houses, and the copies are not equal: one is annotated and indexed, another reproduces the text with no critical apparatus, a third fits in one volume where the first runs to four. On works of consultation, that difference is paid for at every use.

What is tahqiq?

It is the work of establishing and annotating the text: which sources it rests on, what the editor notes where they diverge, the explanation of rare words, the identification of the people cited, the references for the texts reported. An edition described as muhaqqaqa carries that work; a plain edition merely reproduces the text.

Is an edition in more volumes better?

Not automatically, but it is a good indication. A text published in two volumes with one publisher and in six with another almost always means the second carries an apparatus of notes, and sometimes the commented text reproduced in full. The number of volumes appears on every listing.

Which edition should I choose if I study with a teacher?

The one your group uses, without hesitation. Page references never match from one edition to another, and following a class with a pagination different from the teacher's makes the work needlessly harder.

How can I tell a binding that will last?

A sewn binding rather than a glued one: on a book opened regularly, glued bindings eventually give way in the middle. Opaque, slightly cream paper tires the eyes less and lets less of the reverse show through. These points are stated on every listing.

Can I order a title from a house not in this section?

Yes. This section lists only the publishers we currently hold in stock. Send us the title of the work and the full name of the house you want: our network of booksellers covers most of the editions in circulation.

Are the works new?

Yes, every work in the catalogue is new and in Arabic, in its original edition. We sell nothing second-hand, no translations and no bilingual editions.