Mandaean manuscripts given by Lady Ethel May Stefana Drower

Scope and Content

Mandaean manuscripts of Lady Ethel May Stefana Drower, chiefly magical texts. The earliest manuscript is dated 1561, but many of the manuscripts are 20th century copies.

Administrative / Biographical History

Lady Ethel May Stefana Drower (1879-1972) was an Honorary Fellow of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She was a writer and lecturer who studied the religions, languages and folklore of the Middle East, particularly of the Mandaeans. See Who Was Who for details.

Access Information

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures see http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk).

Acquisition Information

MSS. Drower 1-53 were bequeathed to the Library by Lady Drower in 1958. MS. Drower 54 was added by Lady Drower in 1961. MS. Drower 55 was added to the collection in 1986.

Note

Collection level description created by Susan Thomas, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.

Other Finding Aids

A card catalogue, arranged by language, located in the Oriental Reading Room contains brief descriptions of the manuscripts. Many are also described and dated in E.S. Drower and R. Macuch A Mandaic Dictionary (Oxford, 1963), p. ix.