Azenita Abdullah

Al-Jaḥiz (d. 868/869) lived a life of a book enthusiast and devoted his life to the pursuit of knowledge. Al-Jāhiz is also an excellent writer who wrote many books on different subjects. His most famous book is Kitāb al-Hayawan an extensive compendium written in seven volumes on natural history.

In this book, the author highlights that Kitab al-Hayawan is also an important and is probably the earliest written account in Islamic history that discusses the importance of books in human civilization. Written mostly in the form of anecdotes and poetics descriptions, al-Jaḥiz discusses the following:
1) books as the best means of expression,
2) effective styles of writing,
3) the virtues of books,
4) the habit of collecting and beautifying books,
5) the problem of translation and editing, and
6) advice to writers (on the purpose of writing). In addition, he also brings some criticisms against books and his insights into the many issues related to books that he encountered during his time.