Correspondences dated 1966-1967 concerning transfer of Middle East Collection to new Library

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)?', 'i ] April 21, 1966 Dr. M. A. MuUd Khan, Director OSMAMIA ORIENTAL PUBLICATIONS BUREAU OSMANIA UNIVERSITY Hyderabad - 7 (Andhra Pradesh) INDIA My Dear Dr. Mufid Khans Welcome homeI There is no need to be apologetic for temporary absence on business. I am just about to go east to Washington and New York, Princeton and Harvard, on certain urgent assignments. Regarding our order from your collections, 1 welcome the idea of putting this Center on your mailing list for all new Arabic publi­cations. Meanwhile, S have passed the list provided by you to the librarian for checking and found that we already have many items of those suggested by you. However, I shall wait for the aost up-to-date list in order to complete our holdings from your invaluable series. Thank you for the invoice of items already underway. I hope this will be here shortly or, otherwise, I shall have to authorize advance reimbursement before the end of our fiscal year. From the gratifying tone of your kind response, I am confident that our understanding is now as good as complete on matters of policy, and we can forge ahead with the good work, although I must still plead patience. Monsieur Combe has left our transcript in a lamentable shape and the physical labour in re-organizing it is tremendous, but I am not in the least deterred or discouraged. I plan to send you a copy of the first few folios for checking on the method of approach and for telling me whether that form would be acceptable to the printer in setting the type. Your remarks will be helpful guidelines for future procedure. Now concerning certain items, let me oake the following statements. 1. The Paris manuscript of the first parts of sl-Ilman is admittedly the best of ail in age, quality and accuracy. We have used it as an indisputable base for the first few volumes. It presents some small lacunae which we have filled from che Bankipore manuscript. It is ex­citing to know that you are willing to send me your Bankipore transcription. This will enable me to make ali my collations meaningful.