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Primary sourceBook1593

Title Page of Avicenna's Canon

Avicenna · 1593

The title page of an early printed Latin edition of Avicenna's Canon of Medicine, from a rare books collection.

The title page of a printed Canon naming Avicenna as its author, showing how his work reached European readers.

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Scan of the title page of an early printed book, with Arabic script in black ink and a double-ruled border. The Arabic title reads Kitab al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, followed by the name Ibn Sina. Below is Latin text reading ROMAE, In Typographia Medicea, M.D.XCIII, Cum licentia Superiorum. The page is yellowed with faint show-through text from the reverse.
Title page, Canon of Medicine, Rome, 1593. Rare Books collection.

About this source

What it is

This is the title page of an early printed book containing Avicenna's Canon of Medicine. It has Arabic script naming the work and its author, Ibn Sina, with a Latin imprint line below.

Why it matters

The Canon of Medicine, written by Avicenna, became a standard medical text used by European universities for centuries. Printed editions like this one show how his work was presented to European readers, often combining Arabic text with Latin publishing details.

Look closer

  • Why might a printer include both Arabic and Latin text on one page?
  • What signs of age or use can you see on this page?
  • What does the formal border and lettering suggest about how valuable this book was considered?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Avicenna on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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