This seminar introduces graduate students to the materials and methods for the study of Islamic manuscripts (codicology) and handwriting (paleography). We discuss the beginnings of Arabic script in early Qur'ans, its development in Persian and Turkic spheres, and its ornamental value in modern Ottoman calligraphic works. Alongside the development of penmanship, we will explore the arts of the book and their ancillary trades such as ink-, pigment-, and paper- making, as well as illustration, illumination, and bookbinding especially in Persian and Turkic spheres. The course will be taught using calligraphic fragments, manuscripts, and paintings held in the manuscripts collection at Hatcher Graduate Library.