Interest in autobiographical writing, social networks, and the culture of reading and readership in the early modern Ottoman world has seen a rise, as diaries, memoirs and mecmuas have increasingly been objects of scholarly analysis. This paper focuses on a mid-17th century mecmua compiled by a certain Ahmed bin Musa. Organized and written over a period of twenty-one months, from 1640 to 1642, it comprises over five-hundred folios and over forty works of varying lengths and contents. From pithy lists of recently dismissed ulema, lists of proverbs, or lists of deaths at the time of writing, to lengthier works of literature, such as the Yusuf u Zulaykha of Hamdi or Layli u Majnun of Fuzuli, to works of various sciences, the mecmua boasts a comprehensive selection. In the concluding section of this sizeable mecmua the compiler notes that, urged by his companion Cildi Çelebi, he wished to have a compilation of a number of useful works so that whenever it would be read, he and his companion would be remembered. What is perhaps even more remarkable than the lengthy autobiographical note on the purposes of the making of this work is the careful organization of the manuscript as an object. Ahmed bin Musa notes that he not only penned this “elegant compilation,” but also prepared its ruling and binding. The texts are organized such that both the text frame and the marginal space and, at times, the triangular thumbpiece are utilized, encouraging the reader to physically interact with the manuscript. In addition to the plethora of the wide array of texts, there are several diagrams representing orbits, eclipses, and different climes of the world, tables, ornamented section separators, and a full-page painting representing the siege of Baghdad by Murad IV. Certainly not a haphazard gathering of different texts, this mecmua shows great care in its organization and writing and boasts its content as well as materiality. A close reading of its texts and images will provide a glimpse into mid-17th century reading culture as reflected through the lens of Ahmed bin Musa and Cildi Çelebi, and highlight their wish to make a mark in their Istanbulite literary circle.