Books and Their Readers in Seventeenth-Century Istanbul
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Books and Their Readers in Seventeenth-Century Istanbul The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Quinn, Meredith Moss. 2016. Books and Their Readers in Seventeenth-Century Istanbul. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33493319 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA Books and Their Readers in Seventeenth-Century Istanbul A dissertation presented by Meredith Moss Quinn to The Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts May 2016 © 2016 Meredith Moss Quinn All rights reserved. ! Dissertation Advisor: Cemal Kafadar Meredith Moss Quinn Books and Their Readers in Seventeenth-Century Istanbul Abstract This study contributes to the cultural and intellectual history of the early modern Middle East by analyzing how books were produced and circulated, and which audiences existed for various types of books in the Ottoman capital, Istanbul. Focusing on the 17th century, I draw upon the material evidence of manuscripts, statistical and network analysis of archival sources, as well as upon narrative and biographical texts. My analysis shows the limitations of conventional socio-economic categories for writing Ottoman cultural history, and argues for a new approach to writing cultural history. Because almost all of the books in Istanbul were produced by hand, this research offers a counterpoint to the much-explored narrative of printed books. In early modern Istanbul, book-making was highly decentralized. Readers could and did create their own books, sometimes for reasons of economy and sometimes to achieve a special closeness to the work. In fact, the quintessential book in early modern Istanbul was not a fancy volume, but a humble personal notebook created from folded leaves of paper and filled with excerpts or short treatises. Because it was possible to copy and own just the portion of a book that was of interest, fragmented and partial texts were the norm. As a result, libraries that collected reliable and complete texts were an essential part of book circulation. These libraries were set up for copying as much as for reading. I introduce an exemplar manuscript that was held for this very purpose. iii ! Ownership of books was most highly concentrated among those who bore the title of efendi. Men, especially wealthy men, were also more likely to be bookowners than others, but book ownership was not widespread. However, people from every segment of society came into contact with books and the texts they contained, often as listeners rather than readers. This dissertation inverts a common paradigm for writing cultural history. Rather than map cultural currents onto predetermined social groups, I begin with clusters of books that anecdotally or statistically belong together. I then use manuscript evidence such as reading statements, as well as probate inventories, to suggest their audiences. Each book had its natural ecology: the texts with which it naturally belonged because of how it was used and by whom. Books had affinities that crossed traditional subject boundaries. For example, the constellation of medrese books most frequently owned together includes law, grammar, and lexicography. Less rarified books also had their own ecologies. A single title might appear both as a deluxe book intended for display in a refined home and as a scrappy storybook meant to be read aloud in a boisterous coffeehouse setting. In such a way, some texts could transcend social categories altogether. iv ! Table of Contents Acknowledgments………………………………………………………..………………vi Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………………...x A Note on Usage………………………………………………………………………….xi Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter One: Manuscript Production and Circulation…………………………………...35 Chapter Two: Books and Their Owners…………………………………………………84 Chapter Three: A Book-Centered Approach to the Social History of Books…………..119 Chapter Four: Peering Over Readers’ Shoulders — Note-Taking as a Reflection of Reading………………………………………………………………………155 Conclusion: An Ideal Bookshelf…...…………………………………………………...180 Appendix One: Creating a Database from Seventeenth-Century Court Records………182 Appendix Two: Overview of Five Bookowner Segments……………………………...188 Appendix Three: Micro-Libraries………………………………………………………189 Appendix Four: Frequently Owned Books……………………………………………..191 Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………194 v ! Acknowledgments This dissertation ends with an ideal bookshelf, but it began with an ideal committee. I am fortunate to have been advised by three scholars whose considerable erudition is matched by kindness and humanity. Cemal Kafadar’s inspiring, tour-de-force seminars – maj!lis, really – were a highlight of my graduate studies. I am especially grateful to have studied under someone who models and encourages creative lines of inquiry and an appreciation for unconventional sources. Ann Blair gave generously of her time and expertise to guide me at every stage of graduate school. I can count on her for pragmatic advice, frank commentary, and unfailing good cheer. Despite all the guidance she has given me over the years, I am still wondering how she manages to accomplish and serve as much as she does. Khaled El-Rouayheb remains for me a model of scholarly integrity and refined purpose. I am humbled by his engagement with my work and grateful for his timely responses to it. I deeply respect all three of these scholars and thank them for the time they invested in me. Many others have generously advised me. Since I met Halil Berktay twenty years ago, he has proven a steadfast source of encouragement, humor, and hilarious stories. I first encountered Selim Sırrı Kuru when I was an undergraduate and he was a teaching fellow in Engin Sezer’s Turkish A class. It was a turn of great fortune to be his student again among the cats on Cunda island. Meeting !smail Erünsal, the distinguished scholar of Ottoman libraries and booksellers, was, for me, like encountering a rock star. Despite his many accomplishments and obligations, he welcomed me with a hospitable generosity that I will not soon forget. Himmet Ta"kömür helped me to glimpse the worlds that lie behind each word of Ottoman Turkish. He, too, gave his time selflessly to answer many vi ! of my questions. Hatice Aynur offered encouragement and opportunities to share my work with others. Derin Terzio#lu listened carefully, challenged my assumptions, and provided assistance in many ways. All of these advisors offered guidance that improved my work, but the many imperfections that remain are entirely my own. Over the past eight years, I enjoyed and benefitted from countless discussions in Cambridge, Istanbul, and beyond. Conversations with each of the following individuals had a specific impact on my work for which I am grateful: Berat Açıl, Zeynep Altok, Sami Arslan, Tülay Artan, Ekin Tusalp Atiyas, Patricia Blessing, Hülya Canbakal, Alex Csiszar, Ahmet Kaylı, Hannah Marcus, Elias Muhanna, Aslı Niyazio#lu, Helen Pfeifer, Dana Sajdi, Karin Scheper, Jan Schmidt, Yavuz Sezer, Nir Shafir, Amy Singer, Daniel Lord Smail, Arnoud Vrolijk, Jan Just Witkam, Ali Yaycıo#lu, and the late (but still inspiring) Shahab Ahmed. Colleagues in the Book History Writers Group and fellow travelers in Ottoman studies and history at Harvard have been boon companions and exacting readers. In particular, Aslıhan Gürbüzel, Deniz Türker, and Rowan Dorin were there from the beginning to the end — and Rowan, along with Avigail Noy, made sure that I reached the end. Alex Bevilacqua offered insightful and genuinely helpful responses to drafts. And Hilal U#urlu came to Harvard as a visiting scholar and left as a treasured friend. I also wish to thank Kathleen Dillon for her unstinting encouragement, and Neyyir Berktay for being a model of integrity, independence, and fun. My life is richer for their presence. This study focuses on books, and it is an honor to acknowledge the librarians and archivists who preserve the manuscripts studied here. Staff at the Center for Islamic Studies (!SAM), the Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi, the Vakıflar Genel Müdürlü#ü Ar"ivi, vii ! the Beyazıt Devlet Kütüphanesi, the Nadir Eserler Kütüphanesi of !stanbul Üniversitesi, and the Leiden University Library allowed me many months of pleasant and productive study. Librarians at Harvard University were equally supportive, especially Susan Halpert and András Riedlmayer. Without the efforts of these librarians and archivists, and those of their predecessors, this would not have been much of a study at all. Theirs is a purpose which transcends generations. Several centers at Harvard University provided me with critical training and consulting help as I learned new methodologies for this study. Programming support was provided by Steven Worthington of the Research Technology Consulting team at the Institute for Quantitative Social Science. Scott Walker of the Harvard Library Map Collection and Sumeeta Srinivasan of the Institute for Geographical Analysis assisted with GIS analysis. Nancy Cooke Smith refreshed my SPSS skills and admonished me to finish what I