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{
    "pk": 62282,
    "title": "Muḥammad Ramaẓānī: A Bridge for the Transmission and Continuity of Written Heritage in the Transition from the Qajar to the Pahlavi Era",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "<p>Muḥammad Ramaẓānī (1904–1967) should be recognized as one of the most influential figures in the modern history of publishing, librarianship, and collection-building in Iran. Having learned the trade of printing and bookselling from his father, he officially entered the world of books in 1920, at the age of seventeen, by founding the Etifāq Reading Room in Tehran. From that point forward, he engaged continuously and diversely in fields such as librarianship, magazine publishing, printing, editing, and publishing. By establishing institutions like Kitābkhānah-yi Sharq (Eastern Library), Majallah-yi Sharq (Eastern Magazine), Chāpkhānah-yi Sharq (Eastern Printing House), and especially the Kulālah-yi Khāvar publishing house, he played a major role in promoting reading culture and reprinting classical and folkloric Persian literature. Ramaẓānī was also the founder of Kitāb (The Book), the first specialized periodical on books in Iran. By listing and reviewing publications from various Iranian publishers, this journal played a vital role in documentation and shaping the publishing landscape of the time. It can be considered the starting point of professional bibliographic reporting in the Iranian publishing industry. In addition to his wide-ranging activities in the realm of publishing and print, Ramaẓānī dreamed of establishing a large and comprehensive library. Over the years, he gathered a unique and valuable collection of manuscripts, printed books, newspapers, and other non-book print materials. Although financial difficulties and illness prevented him from realizing this dream, parts of his collection, particularly newspapers and magazines, were donated to the University of Tehran Library, while the main portion of his manuscripts and printed books was gifted to the Grand Mosque Library of Qom (Masjid-i A‘ẓam) in Qom. This collection was assembled at a time when public libraries in Iran were scarce and information infrastructure was underdeveloped. Ramaẓānī’s importance lies not only in his role as a publisher and bookseller but also in his pioneering efforts as a collector. He acted as a bridge connecting the printed heritage of the Qajar era with the Pahlavi period and later generations. This article seeks to revisit his life and contributions, focusing on his role in preserving Iran’s textual heritage, the methods he employed in collection-building, and the historical significance of his efforts within the cultural and institutional context of the time. It also examines the current state of preservation, organization, and accessibility of the collections he donated to the University of Tehran and the Grand Mosque Library.</p>",
    "language": "eng",
    "license": {
        "name": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0",
        "short_name": "CC BY 4.0",
        "text": "Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.\n\nNo additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.",
        "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0"
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "section": "Article",
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    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6bs610dz",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Majid",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Jalise",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": "2026-02-03T11:40:06.163000+08:00",
    "date_accepted": "2026-02-10T03:28:34.627163+08:00",
    "date_published": "2026-02-10T00:35:00+08:00",
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}