ABSTRACT
A contention of this study is that the constitution of the litte´rateur (adı¯b) of the
mid-to late third/ninth century was increasingly influenced and mediated by the
new dominance of writerly and book culture. Books and writing were making
inroads such that litte´rateurs now operated in a milieu permeated by the written
word. In this chapter I focus on Ibn Abı¯ T ˙ a¯hir as I attempt to show that writing,
books and writerly culture influenced the litte´rateur’s professional activities, that
is, his trade, occupation, employment, and pursuits.
