The Cairo printing of 1345 AH (1926–27), restored · Hardcover · In Arabic
شمس المعارف الكبرى
Shamsal-Maʿārifal-Kubrā
Eight centuries copied, condemned and kept. Here it is whole, as Cairo set it in type in 1345 AH (1926–27).
Shams al-Maʿārif al-Kubrā
The Cairo printing of 1345 AH (1926–27), restored
Sun of Gnosis
What the pages hold
Squares of numbers, wheels of letters, tables of names. They run through all four volumes; these eight are in the book's own order, from right to left.
— ٧٨ —Page 78 
— ٩٦ —Page 96 
— ١١٥ —Page 115 
— ٢٠٩ —Page 209 
— ٢٥٠ —Page 250 
— ٣١٨ —Page 318 
— ٣٦٢ —Page 362 
— ٤٩٨ —Page 498
Some books are read. This one was kept.
It passed from hand to hand in copies no two alike, praised in one house and forbidden in the next.
In 1345 of the Hijra a Cairo press set the whole of it in type, four volumes in one. We have restored that printing page by page, and left every word where the printer put it.
A century lifted from the page
The paper had browned, the pages leaned, and the binding laid its shadow across the text. We cleared each page down to the printer's ink, and stopped there.
Nothing was redrawn and nothing removed. The catchwords, the signature marks, even the twelve pages numbered wrongly are as he left them.
The volume
One edition, made one way. No copy exists until it is asked for.
$119
US dollars, before shipping and any tax. Printed to order.
- Work
- Shams al-Maʿārif al-Kubrā wa-Laṭāʾif al-ʿAwārif, the Great Sun of Knowledge, under the name of Aḥmad ibn ʿAlī al-Būnī (d. 622 AH, 1225). Who gathered the long version under his name is not known.
- Printing
- Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī and Sons, Cairo, 1345 AH (1926–27).
- Contents
- Four volumes in one, 535 pages, then four short treatises by ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Adhamī and a 16-page index. With a short introduction in English.
- Format
- 7 × 10 inches, 592 facsimile pages, cream paper.
- Binding
- Hardcover, oxford red, the title in gold, matte finish.
- With it
- A PDF of the restored pages, sent when your copy is sent.
Questions
Is it a translation?
No. It is the Arabic text exactly as Cairo printed it, page for page. A short introduction in English comes with it.
What is in it?
The divine names, the science of letters and the making of talismanic squares, in forty chapters attributed to Aḥmad al-Būnī. It has been copied, forbidden and argued over for centuries. We publish it as it was printed and make no claims for what it contains.
Is anything missing?
No. Every leaf was checked for order and damage, and the printed index runs to the last section of the last treatise. Nothing inside the text frames is missing.
I do not read Arabic. Is it for me?
The text is Arabic and stays Arabic. The squares, the wheels of letters and the tables ask no translation to be looked at. If you want al-Būnī in English, this is not that book. Read the sixteen pages first and see.
Why this price?
As we write, paperback translations of this work sell for $35 to $150, and leather rebindings of one of them for more than $200. This is the Arabic printing itself: 592 facsimile pages at 7 × 10 inches, hardbound in oxford red and gold, each copy printed singly.
Where do you ship?
Each copy is printed to order and sent with tracking. The countries are settled when orders open. We do not ship to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain or Oman. Outside the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union, import duties may be charged on delivery.
When can I order?
Orders are not open yet. Leave your address and we will write once, when they are.
Sixteen pages first
The title page, the first words of the text and eleven plates, as a PDF. Then one letter from us, when orders open.
The pages are yours.
Sixteen restored pages: the title page, the first words of the text, and eleven plates.
You are on the list. We will write once, when orders open.