The Book of Songs » by Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani (d. 356 AH) is a massive literary and artistic encyclopedia, considered the "Diwan of the Arabs" and a fundamental reference in Arabic literature, history, and music. It spans 24 volumes and compiles poems and songs, news of poets, and societal anecdotes from the pre-Islamic era to the Abbasid era, based on one hundred selected modes.