Rare miniature Quran to feature at Abu Dhabi Book Fair

World-leading rare book dealers Peter Harrington will offer an attractive copy of David Bryce's celebrated miniature the Holy Quran, one of the most iconic miniature books ever produced, at this year's Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF).

Printed in Glasgow in the late 1890s, the photolithographed Bryce Quran was the earliest European-printed edition of the Quran in miniature format.

Bryce produced his miniature Qurans for Muslim readers across Europe, the Indian subcontinent, East Africa, and the Middle East.

Initially sold with a protective metal locket with an inset magnifying lens, the edition combined remarkable technical achievement with commercial success.

Earlier miniature Qurans had been lithographed in India and the Ottoman Empire in the late nineteenth century, but none matched the Bryce edition's widespread popularity.

Measuring just 26×19 mm, the Quran is photolithographed in Arabic.

It is bound in its original red leather with gilt decoration and housed in its original metal locket, the format in which these extraordinary miniature books were first issued.

Peter Harrington is offering the miniature Quran for £2,750 at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

WAM