6 • Maqriziana XVI: al-Maqrīzī as a Reader
abstract
This article aims at analysing notes left by the renowned Mamlūk historian al-Maqrīzī (d. 845/1442) in dozens of manuscripts representing sixteen works. Two categories of notes are considered: consultation notes and marginalia. Al-Maqrīzī’s consultation notes, dated or datable over a period spanning some fifty years, allow us to demonstrate which texts he accessed, when he consulted them, what his reading practices were and from whom he borrowed the books. Thanks to his marginalia, which consist of corrections, additions, and emotional notes, it is also possible to shed light on al-Maqrīzī’s assessment of the work of some authors.
Keywords: Book loans • Consultation notes • Individual reading practices • Mamlūk scholars • Ownership statements • Libraries • al-Maqrīzī • Paratextual marks • Marginalia