Formation and Dispersion of a Personal Library in the 18th Century: The Case of Mehmed Ismet Efendi’s Library

Name: Formation and Dispersion of a Personal Library in the 18th Century: The Case of Mehmed Ismet Efendi’s Library
Author: İsa Uğurlu

Title	Formation and Dispersion of a Personal Library in the 18th Century: The Case of Mehmed Ismet Efendi’s Library
Author	İsa Uğurlu
Type	Book
Language	ara,eng
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Royal Danish Library
Library Asset ID	EISSN: 2717-6967, DOI: 10.26650/iuitd.2024.1493681
Record ID	cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_bbdae2c350e04c12a6da699b2bff4c43
Library Location	DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Notes	This article presents the personal library of Mehmed Ismet Efendi (d. 1747), an understudied Ottoman intellectual from the eighteenth century. Mehmed Ismet Efendi was a proficient madrasa professor in Islamic sciences, a well-trained poet who was capable of composing Turkish, Arabic, and Persian poetry, an astronomer who engaged in issues related to astronomy and prepared annual calendars for statesmen, a Ṣūfī master who had authorization in at least five Ṣūfī orders, and one of the leading calligraphers of the period. The present article examines the strategies this polymath adopted during his library formation. It is argued that thanks to the wealth he possessed, he expanded the manuscript collection inherited from his father until his death. He paid special attention to collecting books related to the branches of science that interested him. As a calligrapher, he copied books and pamphlets to add them to his library and also attempted to embezzle others’ books. The last section of this paper focuses on the aftermath of the library. It reveals that after Mehmed Ismet’s death, his manuscript collection was quickly scattered, and his books were acquired either by his friends or by book collectors of the period.
Görüntüle	İslam tetkikleri dergisi, 2024-09, Vol.14 (2), p.529-552

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Royal Danish Library

Formation and Dispersion of a Personal Library in the 18th Century: The Case of Mehmed Ismet Efendi’s Library

Author İsa Uğurlu

Type Book

Language ara,eng

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Royal Danish Library

Library Asset ID EISSN: 2717-6967, DOI: 10.26650/iuitd.2024.1493681

Record ID cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_bbdae2c350e04c12a6da699b2bff4c43

Library Location DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals

Notes This article presents the personal library of Mehmed Ismet Efendi (d. 1747), an understudied Ottoman intellectual from the eighteenth century. Mehmed Ismet Efendi was a proficient madrasa professor in Islamic sciences, a well-trained poet who was capable of composing Turkish, Arabic, and Persian poetry, an astronomer who engaged in issues related to astronomy and prepared annual calendars for statesmen, a Ṣūfī master who had authorization in at least five Ṣūfī orders, and one of the leading calligraphers of the period. The present article examines the strategies this polymath adopted during his library formation. It is argued that thanks to the wealth he possessed, he expanded the manuscript collection inherited from his father until his death. He paid special attention to collecting books related to the branches of science that interested him. As a calligrapher, he copied books and pamphlets to add them to his library and also attempted to embezzle others’ books. The last section of this paper focuses on the aftermath of the library. It reveals that after Mehmed Ismet’s death, his manuscript collection was quickly scattered, and his books were acquired either by his friends or by book collectors of the period.

Görüntüle İslam tetkikleri dergisi, 2024-09, Vol.14 (2), p.529-552