An Oriental Biographical Dictionary

An excerpt from Henry George Keene's Introductory: The substance [of this book], is almost entirely Mr. Beale's; and I cannot close this notice more fitly than by giving the following extract from the preface originally drafted by himself:- "In preparing a work of this nature, intended to be used as a work of reference on matters connected with Oriental History, it is proper to state that the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the narrative, as...
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An excerpt from Henry George Keene's Introductory:

The substance [of this book], is almost entirely Mr. Beale's; and I cannot close this notice more fitly than by giving the following extract from the preface originally drafted by himself:-

"In preparing a work of this nature, intended to be used as a work of reference on matters connected with Oriental History, it is proper to state that the greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the narrative, as also in the dates of births, deaths, and other events recorded.... Various MSS. have been collated whenever discrepancy was observed.... To remove all doubt, chronograms indicating the dates with a certainty not to be found by any other method and written when the events were fresh in the minds of men, have been inserted, when available."

I may, however, add that it has been judged expedient to omit these chronograms, for the most part, in printing the book. In the chapter of Mr. Dowson's book already cited, will be found an account of this species of memoria technica. But it is chiefly interesting as machinery for producing a certain result; and when the result has been produced is not of much more use than the scaffolding of a building when the building is complete.

This notice may well terminate with a repetition of Mr. Beale's guarantee of accuracy: and with an appeal to scholars of larger leisure and opportunities for an indulgent treatment of a work originated by a man who had never been in Europe nor enjoyed the use of a complete Library. Mr. Beale had, however, drawn up a list of more than thirty books in various languages which had furnished him with materials. In addition I have from time to time referred to the translation of the Ain Akbari and its invaluable notes by the late Mr. Blochmann, of which the First Volume (never, alas, continued) was published in Calcutta some years ago; also to the works of Garcin de Tassy and the Baron McG. de Slane.

One word more as to the inexhaustible subject of transliteration. The English, as is well-known, have three methods; the Haphazard (which indeed is no method at all); the Gilchristian; and the popularised Jonesian introduced by the Government of India under the inspiration of Sir W. W. Hunter. None of these is quite satisfactory. The French adopt a system of their own, and so do the Germans. Mr. Beale had followed an orthography, compounded of the two first-named elements, which has been conformed to the third method in printing these pages. The principle is, mainly, to accentuate the long vowels and to express the other vowels by the English sounds in "runinant" and "obey." G is always to be pronounced hard, as in "give." For the convenience of Continental European scholars the names have also been printed in the Persian character: and it is hoped that no practical difficulty will be experienced by those who may have occasion to use the Dictionary.