A Typeface for the Book of John
Based on Mark Lidzbarski's hand.
The Mandaean Book of John is one of the core scriptures of the Mandaean tradition, a collection of teachings bound to the figure of John the Baptist. For its first modern critical edition, published by De Gruyter, I designed the Mandaic typeface in which the entire text is set.
I based it on the Mandaic hand of Mark Lidzbarski, the scholar whose pioneering edition first carried this text into print a century ago. I studied his handwriting closely: its proportions, the behaviour of each stroke, where it held its structure and where it slipped. I translated the irregularities of a living hand into a consistent system, and built the ligatures and contextual alternates the script needs to read as one continuous text. I kept the character of his hand, and gave it the clarity and stability that print demands.
To improve on a pioneering scholar's own handwriting sounds like a contradiction. That was the aim, and the typeface now carries the text of the standard scholarly edition, read by everyone who opens it.
"While it may seem scarcely credible that Ardwan could improve upon someone's own handwriting, I am convinced that in every respect, clarity, legibility, fidelity to the script, and sheer aesthetics, Al-Sabti's work is superior to the original. From a technical perspective, it is also a model typeface, flawlessly mustering an array of ligatures and contextual alternates to deliver a clean text that is a delight to read."
— Prof. Charles G. Häberl, Rutgers University
BOOK DETAILS
title The Mandaean book of John
subtitle Critical edition, translation, and commentary
MANDAIC title ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖ ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ
Edited by Charles G. Häberl and James F. McGrath
language Mandaic / English
Edition First Edition, 2020
ISBN 978-3110486513
E-ISBN (PDF) 978-3110487862
publisher De Gruyter
DATE OF PUBLICATION 18 November 2019 (© 2020)
Cover Type Hardcover
Paper 80 Gram
Printed in Berlin, Germany / Boston, USA
Mandaic Book font by Ardwan Al-Sabti
Mandaic FONT Ardwan Script [Lidzbarski]
Pages 467
Dimensions 284mm x 215mm x 32mm
DrashaDYahia // DrashaDMalkia // Drāšāḏ-Yaḥyā // TheMandaeanBookOfJohn // DasJohannesbuchDerMandäer // HolyBook // Mandaean // Nasoraean // Mandaic // Mandaean // Mandaeism // MandaicFonts // MandaeanManuscripts // CharlesHäberl // JamesMcGrath // MarkLidzbarski // ArdwanLidzbarski // Ardwans // ArdwanAlsabti يهيا يهانا // أردوان السبتي // مخطوطات مندائية // كتاب مقدس // دراشا اد يهيا // دراشا اد ملكي // كتاب يحيى // حكم ومواعض // يهيا الصابغ // يحنا المعمدان // يحيى بن زكريا // ناصورائيين // مندائيين // ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖ ࡉࡀࡄࡉࡀ // ࡀࡓࡃࡁࡀࡍ ࡀࡋࡎࡐࡕࡉࡀ // ࡃࡓࡀࡔࡀ ࡖ ࡌࡀࡋࡊࡉࡀ //