Record Number: 33589

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'The Mansab came this morning, and brought a very precious possession, a manuscript copied by his grandfather from earlier histories, a sort of commonplace book of all that was thought worth preserving at the time. It has the fascination of old and treasured things, gathered for someone's private joy. Among a great deal of religion, there is a medieval chronicle, which as far as I can tell is more or less unknown: so I have been sitting on my terrace, copying it out, after the Mansab's departure.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

2 Jan 1938

Country:

Yemen

Time

morning
daytime

Place:

city: Huraidha
county: Shibam, Hadhramaut
location in dwelling: upstairs terrace

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Freya Stark

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Female

Date of Birth:

31 Jan 1893

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Travel writer

Religion:

Christian

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

Yemen

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Habib Ahmed

Title:

[untitled commonplace book]

Genre:

Other religious, Fiction, Essays / Criticism, History, Geography / Travel, Politics, Miscellany / Anthology, untitled commonplace book

Form of Text:

Manuscript: Codex, Arabic commonplace book

Publication Details

Arabic (Yemeni) 19th century scribal commonplace book drawing upon older texts

Provenance

borrowed (other)
Borrowed from the Mansab of Huraidha - ms compiled by his grandfather Habib Ahmed

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Source Information:

Record ID:

33589

Source:

Print

Author:

Freya Stark

Editor:

n/a

Title:

A Winter in Arabia: A Journey through Yemen

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1972

Vol:

n/a

Page:

78

Additional Comments:

Pagination is from the 2011 IB Tauris edition. The book was first published by John Murray in London in 1972.

Citation:

Freya Stark, A Winter in Arabia: A Journey through Yemen, (London, 1972), p. 78, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=33589, accessed: 26 April 2024

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Additional Comments:

Dame Freya Madeline Stark (31 January 1893 - 9 May 1993) was a British explorer and travel writer. The untitled manuscript commonplace book belonged to Habib Ahmed, the grandfather of the Mansab of Huraidha at the time. Reading and copying of the manuscript commonplace book took place from 2-10 January 1938 in Huraidha in the Qu'aiti State of Hadhramaut, which was a British protectorate from 1858 until its abolition in 1967.