This book, published by Archetype for the Don Baker Memorial fund, is the result of research into the nature and characteristics of Islamic paper - gleaned through the systematic analysis of over 100 dated samples. Descriptions of the physical characteristics of papers originating from Persia, Syria and Egypt from the 12th to the 19th century provide a means by which papers are compared and contrasted. To place this research into an historical context, the book begins with an overview of the development of papermaking by hand in the Islamic world. It also examines the impact and spread of the craft throughout Persia and the Middle East, noting its success in relation to other contemporary writing materials and its failure to compete with imported Western papers.