"Lobāb al-albāb, the oldest tad̲kerat al-šoʻarāʼ (anthology with biographies of the poets) in the Persian language ... apparently completed in 618/1221 ... The work is important mainly for two reasons: (1) ʻAwfī gives biographies and quotes verses of contemporary poets who had received him in various towns and are not mentioned in any other works; (2) he gives information, not found anywhere else, about certain poets of the Ghaznavid, Samanid, Saffarid, and Taherid periods. He is uncritical in his appraisals of the poets, being often loquacious and rhetorical. His selections are not well balanced and often show poor taste."--Encyclopaedia Iranica.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Reproduction. Originally published: [Tehran] : Kitābkhānah-i Ḥājj ʻAlī ʻIlmī, 13335 [sic, i.e. 1957], Matn-i kāmil-i Lubāb al-albāb.