Gujarati Parsi lit.; H. Humbach

[Allen Thrasher]

Does anyone out there have any experience reading Gujarati in other 
scripts that its current standard?  I had LC-Delhi ship back to me a 
couple of items from a big collection of Parsiana we bought from the late 
Dinkarbai Trivedi several years ago, assuming they were Avestan or 
Pehlevi and I could puzzle out the tranliteration from teaching Old 
Persian twice years ago.  However upon looking at my reference books I 
now realize the script is not Pehlevi but something else.  It looks 
something like Gujarati Modi but not quite like the form the textbook I 
have of it uses.  It may also be Kaithi or one of the other bookkeeping 
scripts. (I have not I confess had the time to actually sit down and 
start trying to decipher yet.)  If someone is used to these scripts and 
would be kind enough to assist me the transliteration would not only be 
easier but more authoritative.  I seem to recall someone helped me a 
couple of years ago with some Gujarati in Modi (Jim Nye, did you put us 
in touch?) but am embarassed to say I didn't make a note of his name.

A look at their online bibliographies indicates the Zoroastrianists Mary 
Boyce and Helmust Humbach work with Indian Parsi sources.  Does anyone 
have an address for either of them.

Thanks, and Happy New Year to all,


Allen W. Thrasher

Senior Reference Librarian
Southern Asia Section
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4744
tel. 202-707-5600
fax  202-707-1724
Email: athr at loc.gov