Download or read book A Brief Introduction to the Arabic Alphabet written by John F. Healey and published by Saqi. This book was released on 2012-03-05 with total page 95 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Arabic alphabet has a rich history, one that is closely linked with the development of culture and society in the Middle East. In this comprehensive introduction the authors trace the origins of the Arabic alphabet back to Aramaic, which also gave rise to the Hebrew and Greek alphabets. Using detailed illustrations the authors investigate early Arabic papyri and early Islamic inscriptions as well as classical Arabic scripts. John F. Healey and G. Rex Smith bring the story up to the present day by examining the practice of calligraphy, printing and computing in Arabic.