{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.025846153846153845, 'fraction_numerical': 0.006461538461538461, 'mean_word_length': 4.857657657657658, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Hidden in the lute an anthology of two centuries of Urdu literature . Selected and translated by Ralph Russell, pp. viii, 312. Manchester, Carcanet Press, 1995. £25.00.

The British Library's Khamsa of Nizami made for the Emperor Akbar (now popularly known as the "Dyson Perrins Nizami" after its former owner) is one of the most finely-produced of all Mughal manuscripts. The miniatures combine the vigour of Akbar-period painting with the polish of finish which crept in towards the end of his reign, heralding things to come under his son Jahangir. Dated 1595, the text is written by Akbar's foremost scribe, 'Abd al-Rahim, and according to the contemporary numbering the volume originally contained 44 miniatures. Additionally, a portrait of the calligrapher was included in a miniature added beneath the colophon by Jahangir's painter Daulat, who also portrayed himself there. Today, two of the text miniatures are missing and five are with a portion of die manuscript in the Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. The British Library has the bulk of the manuscript with 37 miniatures. The artists named in the contemporary ascriptions include many of the great names of the period: Dharmdas, Manohar, 'Abd al-Samad, Nanha, Miskina and Farrukh Chela, each apparently striving to achieve his best result. All this is contained in contemporary pictorial lacquer covers of unusually fine design. The text of Brend's monograph opens with short sections on the patron, the author and the text, with a piece on the manuscript itself, its nature and history. The main body of her text is devoted to recounting and interpreting the subjects of the illustrative miniatures. Each miniature is described, usually with some appraisal of its artistic merit and meaning. These comments incorporate information on the artists and the origins of their styles as typified in the pictures. This not only has the advantage of elucidating the miniatures but also provides the opportunity to publish all of them, including those of the Walters Art Gallery, in their text order. Those to which a full page is given have the borders included, while the smaller figures, often in black and white, are necessarily cropped. Nevertheless, with the plates of the illumination and binding, full publication of the artistry of the manuscript is achieved. True, if all the miniatures were reproduced in the larger size, the reader would be better empowered to make his own judgment of the individual merits of the different artists' work. A mere head-count tells us that Dharmdas painted more pictures than any other of the 20 or so artists. More significantly, his pictures stand out as exceptional examples of manuscript illustration, including some of the most memorable icons of Mughal painting, and he may therefore be considered the leading light of the project. The stories are re-told in a lively manner, suitably concise and devoid of diversionary facts or detail. Part of their liveliness apparently lies in direct derivation from the text as opposed to pedestrian use of second-hand sources. While a handful of scholars might hanker for a more lavish exposition, this volume fulfills what must be the Library's primary goals of being enjoyable, informative and affordable.