The “Bestsellers” of al-Andalus

There is almost no library holding Arabic manuscripts that does not include copies of some works written by Andalusi scholars, such as al-Shāṭibı̄’s (d. 590/1194) poem on Qur’ānic readings and Ibn Mālik al-Jayyānı̄’s (d. 672/1274) poem on grammar. The popularity of these and other works—related in some cases to their didacticism and in others to their encyclopaedic character—can now be ascertained thanks to the database Historia de los Autores y Transmisores Andalusíes. But why did they become so popular given that similar works produced outside al-Andalus also enjoyed circulation in the Islamic world? Are these works today those that enjoy greater popularity from among the Andalusi production? This chapter aims to provide answers to these and other questions.