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Aga Khan, Andrée Joséphine, wife of Aga Khan III (1898-1976).
Autograph quotation signed. [Antibes], 22. I. 1930.
Large 4to. 1 p. "La santé est le seul et unique principe de vie pour le corps humain: pour un peuple c'est l'union avec l'accord et non la guerre qui le fera vivre [...]". - Mounted on cardboard.
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Al-Shidyaq, Ahmad Faris.
Abda` ma-kan fi suwar Salatin Al `Uthman. Album des Souverains Ottomans. Istanbul, Matba`at al-Jawaib & Garte in Leipzig, [c. 1885].
Small 4to. Lithographed title page and index; 34 photo-lithogr. plates, hightlighted in gilt and red. Original red and gilt cloth. Only edition of this lavishly produced series of portraits showing the Ottoman Sultans from the 14th to the 19th century. Captioned in French and Arabic. The editor, Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq (1804-87), was born in Lebanon to an Arab Maronite family. He converted to Islam in 1860 and spent much of his later life in Istanbul as the editor of an Arab language newspaper, "El-Jawa’ib". In recent years, scholars seem to have taken a renewed interest in Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq and his role in the "nahda", or Arab renaissance of the 19th century. Several biographies have been published recognizing his struggle to modernize the Arabic language and educational system, as well as his defence of Arabic culture and language against the Turkization movement across the 19th century Ottoman Empire. As such he is considered one of the founders of modern Arabic literature and journalism. - Minor foxing to reverse of plates, otherwise in perfect condition. OCLC 15623629.
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Al-Tugrai, Hassan ibn ´Ali.
Lamiato 'l Ajam. Carmen Tograi. Una cum versione Latina, & notis, opera E. Pocockii. Oxford, Henry Hall for Richard Davis, 1661.
8vo. 2 parts in 1 vol. (22), 233, (89) pp. (4), 170, (2) pp. With full-page engraving. Modern vellum. The first Arabic-Latin edition of the great poem "Lamiyat al-´Agam" by Hassan ibn ´Ali al-Tugra'i (c. 1061-1121), and one of the first Arabic books ever printed in England: "a complaint over the unfortunate circumstances of his times and over his own lot" (cf. GAL). Contains not only the text with an extensive commentary, but also a complete index of the words appearing in the poem and the apparatus, as well as a second part, an Arabic prosody by Samuel Clarke entitled "Scientia metrica & rhythmica, seu Tractatus de prosodia Arabica" (also issued separately, but here forming part of the Tugrai edition). Edward Pococke (1604-91) was the first scholar of Arabic at Oxford; the Oxford oriental scholar Samuel Clarke (1624-69) also served his University as printer. - Variously browned due to paper. An untrimmed copy. GAL I, p. 247. Lowndes 2692. Schnurrer 197. Brunet V, 875. Ebert 23019.
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Al-Tugrai, Hassan ibn ´Ali.
Poema Tograi. Cum versione Latina Jacobi Golii hactenus inedita edidit M. Anchersen. Utrecht, Broedelet, 1707.
Small 4to. (20), 46 pp. With engr. title vignette. Contemp. vellum. "Édition estimée, et dont les exemplaires sont peu communs, parce que (selon Vogt) ils ont presque tous été perdus en mer" (Brunet). The accounts regarding the precise number of copies salvaged from the wreck vary: Schnurrer mentions 5 or 6, Ehrencron-Müller states 50. In any case, the number of copies extant is very small and thus the book is extremely rare. It contains the poem "Lamiyat al-Agam" by al-Hasan Ibn-Ali at-Tugrai (c. 1061-1121) in the Arabic original with a Latin translation and copious commentary by the Danish theologian Matthias Anchersen (1682-1741). "A complaint over the unfortunate circumstances of his times and over his own lot" (cf. GAL). - Some browning and foxing due to paper. The author's personal copy, inscribed to his brother Ansgar on the front flyleaf. Smitskamp 318. Schnurrer 199. Ehrencron-Müller I, 113. Brunet V, 875. Ebert 23020. Cf. GAL I, p. 247 (the 1717 ed.).
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Al-Tugrai, Hassan ibn ´Ali.
Poema Tograi. Ex versione Latina Jacobi Golii, cum scholiis et notis. Curante H. van der Sloot. Franeker, Willem Coulon, 1769.
4to. 17, (1), 174 pp. Modern calf. Upper edge red. The poem "Lamiyat al-Agam" by al-Hasan Ibn-Ali at-Tugrai (c. 1061-1121) in the Arabic original with a Latin translation and extensive commentary. "A complaint over the unfortunate circumstances of his times and over his own lot" (cf. GAL). "The 'Lamiyat al-'Agam', a famous poem by At-Tograi [...] It was first edited by Golius together with the Sentences of Ali in 1629. This is the first [edition] accompanied by Arabic scholia, and also the first readily available edition containing Golius’ translation: Anchersen's edition of 1707, which published this translation for the first time, was lost at sea except for six copies" (Smitskamp). - Some creasing; a very clean copy. Lower edge untrimmed. GAL I, p. 247. Smitskamp 318. Schnurrer 200. Brunet V, 875. Ebert 23021.
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Albonesi, Teseo Ambrogio degli.
Introductio in Chaldaicam lingua[m], Syriaca[m], atq[ue] Armenica[m], & dece[m] alias linguas. [Pavia, G. M. Simonetta], 1539.
4to. 213 (instead of 215) ff. (lacking ff. 212-213 and final blank). Title printed in red and black. With woodcut title border and two nearly full-page woodcuts in the text. 19th century half calf (restored) with giltstamped spine. First edition. "The earliest Syrian and Armenian grammar printed" (IA). Extremely rare and early work of oriental studies, also important for the history of music due to the first illustrated description of the bassoon, which the author's uncle, Afranio degli Albonesi, had invented early in the century and had first demonstrated in 1532. - The canon regular Teseo Ambrogio degli Albonesi (often simply referred to as Ambrogio or Ambrosius; 1469-1540) taught the Syriac language. This introduction to the oriental languages - his only publication - is a mixture of lingustic treatise and a collection of exotic alphabets. If Albonesi's results are not in every case correct, they remain of great importance to the history of linguistic scholarship: the "Introductio" constitutes one of those works which inspired the budding discipline of comparative philology to undertake further research. "His work offers a detailed survey of the Syriac and Armenian languages from various points of view, and a short notice about the other exotic languages (Samaritan, Arabic, Coptic, Cyrillic, Ethiopic) - these languages are all discussed with examples written by hand in the earlier chapters, and throughout the work we find blank spaces where such words had still to be filled in" (Smitskamp). Some of the blank spaces mentioned have been filled in in ink by a contemporary hand. Lacks the final two pages of text (including the colophon). Slight worming to upper margin near end. Edit 16, CNCE 816. Adams A 957. Mortimer 20. BM-STC Italian 16. Eitner I, 91. MGG III, 1721. Smitskamp 240. IA 104.625. Brunet I, 229. Graesse I, 59.
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Alessandro, Giuseppe d', duca di Pescolanciano.
Pietra paragone de' cavalieri, [...] divisa in cinque libri. Naples, Domenico-Antonio Parrino, 1711.
Folio (332 x 218 mm). With engraved frontispiece, portrait of the author, and 140 engravings, all but one full-page. Contemporary full vellum with manuscript lettering to spine. First edition of this rare Italian riding school, covering all aspects of horse breeding, training and care, lavishly illustrated with 140 engravings. A second, enlarged edition, also apparently rare, was published in 1723 under the title "Opera". The work is divided into five parts: the first, "Regole di cavalcare" with one plate; the second, "[...] ove si tratta del difficilissimo mestiere dell' imbrigliare"; the third, "[...] dell' istesso", with 95 illustrations of bits, etc.; the fourth, "Disegni de' circoli" with 10 diagrams and "Ritratti d'uomini illustri" with 27 portraits, about half of which show mounted figures; the fifth, "[...] intorno alla preservativa, conservatione, e medicina per cavalli" with 7 plates, also including other animals (such as a rhinoceros). - Errata leaf at beginning, some leaves browned or spotted. No copy in auction records of the last decades. Huth p. 28. Brunet I, 159. Graesse I, 68.
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[Algeria]. - Bou Kandoura, Mohammed.
Letter signed. Alger, 18. XII. 1828.
Large 4to. 2 pp. Together with a contemporary transcription into French. To the Crown prosecutor of Algeria, describing a case of child murder under Sharia law.
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[Algeria]. - El Mézari, Mohamed.
Autograph letter signed (as Agha of Mostaganem). N. p., 14. I. 1937.
Together with a lithographic portrait (315:243 mm). In Arabic to King Louis-Philippe I, requesting recruitment of men and horses. Together with an autograph translation signed by Joseph-Marie Jouannin, the king's interpreter of Arabic (Paris, 14 Feb. 1837).
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[Algeria]. - El Mézari, Mohamed.
Autograph letter signed (as Agha of Mostaganem). N. p., [1849/50].
4to. 1 p. on bifolium. In Arabic, to General Viala Charon, French governor in Algeria. Includes contemporary French translation.
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[Alphabetum Arabicum].
Alphabetum Arabicum una cum Oratione Dominicali, Salutatione Angelica et Symbolo Fidei. Rome, Sac. Congreg. de Propaganda Fide, 1797.
8vo. 15, (1) pp. With printer's device to title page. Modern half calf. Brief introduction to the Arabic language for Catholic missionaries, "an exact reproduction of the 1715 edition" (Smitskamp). Includes a table of the alphabet and the Lord's Prayer and Ave Maria in Arabic. "The best known products of the Propaganda Press, apart from its missals, grammars, and dictionaries, are the Alphabeta" (Smitskamp 193). This is, perhaps, little surprise, for the missionaries sent forth to all parts of the globe by the Roman see through the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, founded by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 for the purpose of spreading the Catholic interpretation of the Gospel, depended on language study textbooks such as these. The production of such alphabets was taken up as early as 1630 and was not discontinued until the early years of the 19th century; in 1812 the Congregation's in-house printing office was dissolved. - A good copy with deckle edges intact. Smitskamp 216. Cf. Streit XVII, p. 351, no. 6551.
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[Alphabetum Armenum].
Alphabetum Armenum. Rome, Sac. Congreg. de Propaganda Fide, 1673.
8vo. 8 ff. With woodcut printer's device to title page. Modern boards. Brief introduction to the Armenian language for Catholic missionaries. "The types are those cut by Grandjon in 1579, and this is therefore a late specimen of that fount" (Smitskamp). Includes a table of the alphabet and the Lord's Prayer and Ave Maria in Armenian. "The best known products of the Propaganda Press, apart from its missals, grammars, and dictionaries, are the Alphabeta" (Smitskamp 193). This is, perhaps, litte surprise, for the missionaries sent forth to all parts of the globe by the Roman see through the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, founded by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 for the purpose of spreading the Catholic interpretation of the Gospel, depended on language study textbooks such as these. The production of such alphabets was taken up as early as 1630 and was not discontinued until the early years of the 18th century; in 1812 the Congregation's in-house printing office was dissolved. - Slightly browned throughout. Smitskamp 200. Graesse I, 85.
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[Alphabetum Persicum].
Alphabetum Persicum cum Oratione Dominicali et Salutatione Angelica. Rome, Sac. Congreg. de Propaganda Fide, 1783.
8vo. 24 pp. With woodcut printer's device to title page. Modern red half calf with marbled covers. Brief introduction to the Persian language for Catholic missionaries in the Middle East, with a table of the alphabet and the Lord's Prayer in Persian. "The best known products of the Propaganda Press, apart from its missals, grammars, and dictionaries, are the Alphabeta" (Smitskamp 193). This is, perhaps, litte surprise, for the missionaries sent forth to all parts of the globe by the Roman see through the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, founded by Pope Gregory XV in 1622 for the purpose of spreading the Catholic interpretation of the Gospel, depended on language study textbooks such as these. The production of such alphabets was taken up as early as 1630 and was not discontinued until the early years of the 18th century; in 1812 the Congregation's in-house printing office was dissolved. - Slight waterstain to margins. Untrimmed copy. Smitskamp 210. Graesse I, 85. Brill II, 2109.
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Alquie, Francois-Savinien d'.
Les mémoires du voyage de Monsieur le marquis de Ville au Levant, ou l'histoire curieuse du siège de Candie. Amsterdam, Boom, 1670-1671.
12mo. 3 parts in 1 vol. (10), 60, 153 (but: 453), 320 pp. Contemp. vellum. First complete French edition. The account of the siege of the fortress of Candia, Crete, based on the reports of Giovanni Battista Rostagno, secretary to Duke Charles Emmanuel II of Milan, was first published in Italian in 1668. The engraved title page depicts the siege of Candia. - Ownership of the Swedish nobleman Corfitz Christian count Beck-Friis (dated Stockholm, 1876); unobtrusive ownership stamp to title page. Last in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer (his ms. ownership to endpaper; dated Zuroch, 28 March 1992). Atabey 17. Cioranescu 7075. Weber II, 347. Cf. Willems 1844.
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[Anatomy of the horse].
Explication des proportions géométrales du cheval vu dans ses principaux aspects suivant les principes établis dans les Ecoles Royales Vétérinaires. No place, [1769].
480 x 680 mm. Fine handwritten, calligraphic description of a perfect horse's anatomy, explaining its ideal proportions. Located in the centre is a printed horse study taken from Bourgelat's "Treatise on the choice and care of horses they require" ("Traité du choix des chevaux et des soins qu'ils exigent", 1769). - The founder of veterinary colleges at Lyon in 1761, Claude Bourgelat, was as an oft-consulted authority on horse management. - Small defects to edges; some dust-staining on reverse.
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Antes, John.
Observations on the Manners and Customs of the Egyptians, the Overflowing of the Nile and its Effects. London, Stockdale, 1800.
4to. 139, (5) pp. With folding engr. map. Later cloth. First edition. - Includes observations "on the Plague in Egypt", "on the Overflowing of the RIver Nile, and the Qualities of its Water", "on the Climate and Seasons of the Year in Egypt", and "on the Situation of Egypt relative toi commercial Advantages", as well as "A Specimen of Turkish Justice, or, rather, of that of the Mamelucks in Egypt". John Antes was a missionary of the Moravian Church resident in Egypt from 1770 to 1781. He "produced this work in answer to those of Savary and Volney" (Blackmer). - Some foxing to title page. This copy is from the collection of the author's descendants, with several inscriptions on the flyleaf. Later in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. Atabey 25. Blackmer 36. Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 38. Blake 16. OCLC 4415058.
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[Arabian Horses at the Hungarian National Stud].
Collection of original vintage photographs. Bábolna, c. 1885.
11 vintage photo prints (ca. 90 x 120 mm, but one 105 x 170 mm) on backing cardboard (20 x 25 cm). Highly uncommon photographs of Arabian horses (all individually captioned) at the famous Bábolna stud in Hungary, the principal stud for producing the best horses for the Austro-Hungarian military in the 19th century. The "Bábolna Nemzeti Ménesbirtok" (Bábolna National Stud) was founded by Emperor Joseph II in 1789. In 1816 it was decreed that henceforth only Arabian stallions should be used for stud service - a policy that raised the quality of the Austrian cavalry's horses to a famous level and necessitated the frequent introduction of new pure-bred Arabian stallions from the Middle East. One of the greatest commanders and stud-masters of Bábolna, Mihály Fadlallah el Hedad, hailed from Syria. - The photos show portraits of the horses Sechun, Nadir, Tahita, Nasira, Celeby, Dzerid, El Hafi, El Denedzi, Hiläl, Riat, as well as a larger group portrait showing several of the horses with their Arabian and Austro-Hungarian trainers. Some slight staining to backboards, but altogether well-preserved. Extremely rare.
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Arnù, Niccolò.
Presagio dell'imminente rovina e caduta dell'imperio Ottomano. Venice, Pietro Antonio Brigonci, 1686.
4to. (8), 91, (1) pp. With several historiated woodcut initials. Modern wrappers. Second edition of this compilation of prophecies about the expected downfall of the Ottoman Empire. First published in 1684, the year after the failed Ottoman siege of Vienna. - Niccolò Arnù (1629-92) held the chair of Metaphysics at the university of Padova; among his many works is a commentary on the "Summa Theologica" of St. Thomas Aquinas (cf. Wetzer/Welte I, 1440). - Formerly in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. ICCU BVEE\045772. Not in STC.
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[Bahrain].
Treasure Minute Dated 21 March 1957 Concerning a Gift of Land in Bahrein. London, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1957.
2 pp. 8vo. Modern binder. Parliamentary minutes regarding the sale of a vacant site of some 4/5ths of an acre in the Manama district of Bahrain, originally acquired in 1903 for the erection of the Victoria Memorial Hospital which was demolished in 1953, to the Ruler of Bahrain, H.H. Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad Al Khalifa, who wished to found a Museum and Public Library on the site. The value of the site was estimated at about 70,000 pounds sterling. - With stamp of "The Law Society, London" (29 March 1957).
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Barretto, Joseph.
A Dictionary of the Persian and Arabic Languages. Calcutta, S. Greenway, India Gazette Press, 1804-1806.
8vo. 2 vols. (4), IV, 150 pp. (2), 921, (1) pp. Modern green library cloth with gilt lettering to spine. First edition of this early Arabic and Persian dictionary, long considered one of the best of its kind (cf. Encyclopaedia Americana X, 39). Prepared by Joseph Barretto junior (d. 1825), a Calcutta merchant and banker. The Barrettos were a Portuguese family long established in India, producing two governors of the country. "Arabic, Persian, and Urdu printing in India really began in Calcutta under the East India Company from the 1780s onwards. Of the three languages, Persian was paramount to the Company's interests" (Ency. of Islam VI, 805). - Small hole to f. C2 of vol. 1 (affecting one word of the text); lower corner of final leaf of vol. 2 torn away (affecting one letter of text); some light foxing throughout (more so to initial and terminal leaves). Withdrawn from the Glasgow University Library with their bookplate and withdrawal stamp to pastedowns. Rare. Vater/Jülg 25 ("1805-06"). Graesse I, 298. Not in Zaunmüller or Kaul.
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[Bergk, Johann Adam].
Arabien und Syrien in historischer, geographischer, wissenschaftlicher, artistischer, naturgeschichtlicher, merkantilischer, religiöser, sittlicher und politischer Hinsicht. Berlin & Leipzig, Verlagshandlung der neuen compendiösen Bibliothek, 1799.
8vo. XVI, 512 pp. With engraved title vignette, folding engraved map, and 4 engraved plates. Contemporary marbled boards. All edges red. First edition, conceived as a continuation of Bergk's volume on Egypt. The map shows Syria; the plates depict Arabic costumes, household tools, and views of Haleb, Mecca, and Medina. The title vignette shows Mt. Sinai. Also discusses the history , topography, climate, illnesses etc. of the Arabian Peninsula (with chapters on the Nejd, Arabia Felix and Yemen, etc.). - Some browning. From the library of the Kalksburg Jesuit college with their shelfmark label on pastedown. Kayser I, 32. Holzmann/B. I, 2892. Hamberger/Meusel XXII/1, 216. OCLC 257668994. Not in Macro, Atabey or Blackmer.
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Bernstein, Georg Heinrich (ed.).
De initiis et originibus religionum in oriente dispersarum quae differunt a religione christiana liber. E codice manu scripto arabico bibliothecae universitatis litterarum regiae Gottingensis. Berlin, Maurer, 1817.
4to. VIII, 71, 57 pp. Giltstamped red boards. First edition of this treatise on the origins of the non-Christian religions of the Orient, written by Notaras Chrysantis (c. 1670-1735) and here edited in the original Arabic text with Latin translation and critical apparatus after a ms. in the Göttingen University Library. G. H. Bernstein (1787-1860) taught oriental languages at the universities of Berlin and Breslau. He is chiefly famous for his preliminary studies for the "Thesaurus Syriacus", a dictionary of Syriac produced after his death by Robert Payne Smith. - Contemporary autograph ownership and review note of the Marburg oriental scholar Johann Melchior Hartmann (1764-1827), among whose work is a "Commentatio de geographia Africae Edrisiana", published in 1792. Later stamp of the Basel chemist Dr. Remy Cantieni (1940s). Last in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. - Rare. ADB II, 485.
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[Biblia arabica - VT - Psalmi].
Davidis Regis et Prophetae Psalmi. Ex arabico in latinum idioma [...] redditi. Rome, typographia Savariana, 1619.
4to. (8), 474, (8) pp. Title page printed in red and black. Contemporary vellum with ms. title to spine. Edges sprinkled in red. Second edition of Savary's Arabic Psalter; more precisely, a re-issue of the 1614 original edition, with only the title changed and the remaining pages re-used from the first. Prepared by two Maronite scholars, Nasrallah Salaq al-'Aquri, better known as Victorius Scialac Accurensis, and Gabriel Sionita. "Scialac was one of the first Oriental Christian scholars who by his publications furthered the causes of both European Orientalism and Oriental Christianity. He taught Arabic and Syriac in the Roman University from 1610 to 1631" (Smitskamp, p. 161). The publication is famous for the clarity and elegance of its typeface created by Savary de Brèves: the extensive vocalisation helped this handy quarto volume achieve immense popularity among oriental scholars throughout Europe. Formerly it was assumed that the type design was based on specimens Savary had seen during his time as French envoy at Constantinople; today his probable model is believed to be a calligraphical manuscript from Qannubin, preserved in the Bibliotheca Vaticana. The cutting and founding of the types were done in Rome, in collaboration with Stefano Paolini, an experienced printer formerly of the Typographia Medicea. The Psalms' text is based on a manuscript Savary de Brèves had bought in Jerusalem (cf. Balagna, L’imprimerie arabe en occident, p. 55f.); as it occasionally departs from the Vulgate (as does the translation by the Maronites Sionita and Scialac), an extensive imprimatur was necessary. - The Arabic-Latin Psalter (1614/19) and Bellarmin's Arabic catechism (1613) would remain the only works to leave the Typographia Savariana in Rome; the types have survived and are now in the archives of the Imprimerie Nationale in Paris. - Occasional paper flaws professionally restored; insignificant brownstaining in places. A good copy. Darlow/Moule 1643. Schnurrer 324 (note) & p. 505. Ebert 18088 (note). Brunet IV, 921 (note). STC 108. Cf. Smitskamp 33. Fück 56.
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[Biblia arabico-latina - Evangelium secundum Matthaeum].
Passio Domini nostri Iesu Christi, secundum Matthaeum. Arabice, cum Latina versione ad verbum, iuxta editionem Romanam. Leiden, Raphelengius, 1613.
4to. 45, (1) pp. With printer's device to title page. Modern half calf. Sole edition: "Extremely rare. The last of three small New Testament portions issued in Arabic by the Raphelengius press" (Smitskamp). Anonymously edited by Thomas Erpenius as a specimen of his planned polyglot Bible. "Erpenius had a special interest in the text of the Bible, and also published the Syriac version. He aimed at editing a corpus embodying all the variants which could be gleaned from the Oriental versions, but his premature death at the age of forty put an end to these plans" (Smitskamp 80). - 1833 ownership "John Williams" to title page. Slight waterstain throughout the upper third, otherwise fine. Smitskamp 279. Not in Darlow/Moule.
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[Biblia arabico-latina - Psalmi].
Liber psalmorum Davidis regis, et prophetae. Ex Arabico idiomate in Latinum translatus. A Victorio Scialac & Gabriele Sionita. Recens in lucem editus munificentia Francisci Savary de Breves. Rome, Stefano Paolini f. Typographia Savariana, 1614.
4to. (8), 474, (6) pp. With two woodcut coats of arms on t. p. and at the end. Late 19th century half calf. First edition of this adaptation of the Psalms, set in Arabic-Latin parallel text. Printed in some 3000 copies, most of which were used for a 1619 re-issue with only the title page changed. Famous for the clarity and elegance of the typeface created by Savary de Brèves: the extensive vocalisation helped this handy quarto volume achieve immense popularity among oriental scholars throughout Europe. Formerly it was assumed that the type design was based on specimens Savary had seen during his time as French envoy at Constantinople; today his probable model is believed to be a calligraphical manuscript from Qannubin, preserved in the Bibliotheca Vaticana. The cutting and founding of the types were done in Rome, in collaboration with Stefano Paolini, an experienced printer formerly of the Typographia Medicea. The Psalms' text is based on a manuscript Savary de Brèves had bought in Jerusalem (cf. Balagna, L’imprimerie arabe en occident, p. 55f.); as it occasionally departs from the Vulgate (as does the translation by the Maronites Sionita and Scialac), an extensive imprimatur was necessary. - Bellarmin's Arabic catechism and the Arabic-Latin Psalter would remain the only works to leave the Typographia Savariana in Rome; the types have survived and are now in the archives of the Imprimerie Nationale in Paris. - From the library of the Biblical scholar Samuel Davidson (1806-98) with his ms. ownership to title page; binding slightly bumped, but a fine copy altogether. STC 108. Darlow/Moule 1641. Lüthi 198. Smitskamp 33. Schnurrer 324 & p. 500-506. Fück 56. Ebert 18088. Brunet IV, 921.
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[Illustrated broadsheet].
Abbas Hilmi II of Egypt. [Weißenburg, Burckardts Nachfolger, c. 1895].
Head-and-shoulders portrait. Stencil-coloured lithograph. 43 x 34 cm. One of the very rare Weißenburg illustrated broadsheets showing oriental motifs. These were published under the fictitious address of Hassan Uwais (Auvès) in Cairo. The present leaf shows the last Khedive of Egypt (ruled 1892-1914); thus it must have been published during under Camille Burckardt's successors, who took over the Weißenburg factory in 1889. - Slight tear to right edge; slight creasing. Edges somewhat browned. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012.
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[Illustrated broadsheet].
Tewfik Pasha of Egypt. Weißenburg, Burckardts Nachfolger, [c. 1890].
Head-and-shoulders portrait. Chromolithograph. 60 x 44.6 cm. Very rare Weißenburg broadsheet showing the portrait of an oriental ruler: the last-but-one Khedive (Viceroy) of Egypt, Tewfik Pasha (ruled 1879-1892). These oriental broadsheets were usually sold with the fictitious imprint of Hassan Auvès in Cairo; this one also states the actual publisher, Camille Burckardt's successors. - Slight horizontal crease; edges somewhat browned. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012.
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[Illustrated broadsheet].
Turkish highway robber. Weißenburg, Burckardts Nachfolger, [1890].
Seven-part jumping jack. Stencil-coloured lithograph. 674 x 580 mm. A large, typical Weißenburg jumping jack, the threatening caricature of an oriental character. Western audiences delighted in subjecting enemy warriors to ridicule by pulling the string and making the figure "jump" (cf. "Bilderbogen aus Weißenburg" catalogue, p. 134: a contemporary Turkish soldier by the same publisher). - Some edge and corner flaws. Includes additional illustrated broadsheets with oriental motifs. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012.
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[Illustrated broadsheet - Egypt].
I re dell'Egitto. Weißenburg, Burckardts Nachfolger, [c. 1895/1900].
Colour lithograph. 57 x 42.5 cm. Splendid Weißenburg illustrated broadsheet showing the rulers of the dynasty of Muhammad Ali (reigned from 1805 until the deposition of the last Khedive, Abbas Hilmi II, in 1914). As usual, this bears the fictitious publisher's address of Hassan Auvès in Cairo (at left), and also the true imprint of Camille Burckardt's successors, who took over the company in 1889. - Slight repaired tear to left edge; slight browning. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012.
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[Illustrated broadsheet - Sultan Abdul Hamid II].
Portrait as a horseman. [Weißenburg, Burckardt, c. 1880/88].
Stencil-coloured lithograph. 43 x 33.4 cm. One of the very rare Weißenburg illustrated broadsheets showing oriental motifs. These were published under the fictitious address of Hassan Uwais (Auvès) in Cairo. The actual publisher, Camille Burckardt, was head of the Weißenburg company from 1880 until 1888. - Slight crease, minor browning. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012. Des Mondes de Papier p. 66, no. 1.
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Biscionio, Antonio Maria.
Bibliothecae Mediceo-Laurentianae catalogus [...]. Tomus primus [no more published], codices orientales complectens. Florence, ex Imperiali Typographio, 1752-(1757).
Folio (282 x 410 mm). 2 parts in 1 volume. LV, (1), 199, (1) pp. 121, (1) pp. Title page printed in red and black. With engr. frontispiece, engr. title vignette, 9+26+1 (= 36) engr. plates, numerous text engravings (one full-page), and several engr. initials, head- and tailpieces. All edges sprinkled in red. Disbound. First and only edition of this ambitiously conceived catalogue of the Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and Greek manuscripts at the Laurentian Library ("Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana") in Florence. The 9 engraved plates of the first part show the architectural details and ornaments of the library that was planned and partly built by Michelangelo; the plates of the second part show examples from the illuminated manuscripts of the collection - a rich trove of Near-Eastern and Middle-Eastern book art. Antonio Maria Biscionio (1674-1756) was a celebrated scholar and the appointed keeper of the Laurentian Library. "No more published; later catalogs were issued by Biscioni's successor as librarian, Angelo Maria Bandini. An abridgment appeared in 1757 under title: 'Bibliothecae ebraicae graecae florentinae, sive Bibliothecae mediceo-laurentianae catalogus'" (OCLC). - Vellum slightly rubbed at extremeties; foxing to edges of final pages. Rare; only two copies in international auction records since 1950. Graesse I, 432. OCLC 6475224.
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Blount, Sir Henry.
A Voyage into the Levant. A Breife Relation of a Journey, lately performed by Master H.B. Gentleman, from England by the way of Venice, into Dalmatia, Sclavonia, Bosnah, Hungary, Macedonia, Thessaly, Thrace, Rhodes and Egypt, unto Gran Cairo: With particular observations concerning the moderne condition of the Turkes, and other people under that Empire. The Second Edition. London, Printed by I.L. for Andrew Crooke, 1636.
Small 4to. (2), 126 pp. Trimmed, touching the first work title and a few headlines and page numbers. Expertly bound to style in 19th century straight grained brown morocco, covers elaborately bordered in gilt, spine with raised bands in six compartments, lettered in the second, the others with a repeat decoration in gilt, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. Scarce early English work on the Levant. Blount journeyed to the Levant in 1634 and first published his account two years later (the present second edition appearing later in the same year). It is an important English work and one of the first to view the Turks without prejudice. "Blount wrote objectively and viewed Turkish society as different from, but equally valid to, the life he knew in England" (Blackmer catalogue). Provenance: E.B.,Trinity College, Cambridge (inscription on verso of title dated 1748). Atabey 119 (first edition). Blackmer 154. STC 3137. Wing B3317. Weber 289.
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Bourgoin, Jules.
Les Arts Arabes. Architecture - Menuiserie - Bronzes - Plafonds - Revêtements - Marbres - Pavements - Vitraux - etc. Paris, A. Morel & Cie., 1873.
Folio (360 x 454 mm). (4), 3, (1), 4, (4), VIII, 28 pp. With 51 engr. plates and 41 chromolithographic plates. Contemporary half calf on 5 raised bands and giltstamped title to spine. Marbled endpapers. Only edition of this rare collection of stunning ornamental plates, showing Islamic architectural designs and decorative details thereof. With accompanying text by Bourgoin (1838-1908), who had spent years in Egypt as an architect and made extensive travels to Syria and Palestine. This monumental work, with a preface by E. Viollet-le-Duc, first made Arabic art widely known in Europe and was immediately recognized as a classic. Included with this set are three original pen-and-ink sketches of the geometrical mosaic designs in the Alcazar of Sevilla, as well as a sketch of western gothic architecture. - Some foxing throughout as usual, but mainly confined to margins. Binding slightly rubbed and bumped at extremities; still an excellent copy. Blackmer 185. Gay 3435. OCLC 558156807.
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Boyall, Richard John.
Brownlow Carriage Manufactory, Grantham [...] and Sheffield. London, W. S. Johnson, c. 1880.
Oblong 8vo. Frontispiece (coloured lithograph view of the Carriage Works, Grantham), 40 attractive individual colour lithographs. Tissue guards. Original blue cloth; title stamped in gilt on upper cover. All edges gilt. The lithographs show carts, broughams, dress coaches, landaus, private omnibuses, wagonettes, shooting carts, hound vans, phaetons, dog and pony carts, etc. The title page provides a lengthy description of the works undertaken, with assurances of quality and affordability. - Slightly brownstained, flecked, and rubbed. Rare; COPAC locates a single copy (University of York Libraries; Grantham library holds another copy).
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[Breviary in Arabic].
Al-Urulugiyun, ay al-sawa`i al-mustamil `ala salawat al-fard al-qanuniyya. Dayr al-Shuwayr, Kisrawan, Lebanon, St. John the Baptist Monastery, 1822.
8vo. (10), 736 pp. Printed in red and black throughout. Contemporary blindstamped black calf binding. The Arabic Horologion (following the Byzantine rite), containing the breviary, canonical prayers and hymns for the feast days of the Saints throughout the year. From the printing office of the Melkite monastery of St. John the Baptist at al-Shuwayr in the Lebanese Kisrawan mountains, operative between 1734 and 1899, during which time it produced in all 69 Arabic books, including re-editions (cf. Silvestre de Sacy I, pp. 412-414; Middle Eastern Languages and the Print Revolution. A Cross-Cultural Encounter, Westhofen 2002, pp. 179-181). Occasional insignificant brownstaining; slight chipping to extremeties of the appealing original binding. Rare: OCLC lists two copies only (at the University of Leiden and the Veech Library, Catholic Institute of Sydney, Australia). OCLC 68525490, 224329156.
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Brugsch, Emil, German-born Egyptologist (1842-1930).
3 letters in Arabic, signed ("Emile Brugsch" bzw. "E. Brugsch"). Apparently Cairo, 1887 to 1911.
4to. Altogether 2 pp. On various matters. Emil Brugsch is known as the official who "evacuated" the mummies from the Deir el-Bahri cache in 1881, and for serving as assistant curator of the Bulaq Museum - the nucleus of what is today the Egyptian Museum. - With punched holes. Two letters with French editiorial notes
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Bruyn (Le Brun), Cornelis de.
Reizen van Cornelis de Bruyn, door de vermaardste deelen van Klein Asia, de eylanden Scio, Rhodus, Cyprus, Metelino, Stanchio, &c. mitsgaders de voornaamste steden van Aegypten, Syrien en Palestina [...]. Delft, Henrik van Krooneveld, 1698.
Folio (235 x 337 mm). (18), 398, (8) pp. With engr. half-title, engr. portrait of the author (after Godfrey Kneller), and 210 as well as several lettered or unnumbered engravings (many by Jan and Caspar Luyken after the author's drawings) printed on 57 plates, 24 double-page plates and 20 folding plates (most of which are panoramic views). Wants the folding map of the Eastern Mediterranean. Contemporary Dutch blindstamped vellum. First edition, the only one to appear in the original language. The Dutch painter and traveller Cornelius de Bruyn travelled to Constantinople and throughout the Levant and the Ottoman empire between 1677 and 1685. "De Bruyn was primarily a landscape artist and this manifests itself in the several fine panoramas which include Smyrna, Constantinople, the Bosphorus, Rhodes, Tyre, Alexandria, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Aleppo, Palmyra and others. De Bruyn's costume plates are mostly of the different types of Greek and Turkish head-dresses" (Atabey). - Some browning, fingerstaining and edge flaws throughout. Complete save for the map. Atabey 159. Tiele 207. Gay 2101. Henze I, 378. Howgego I, p. 157, B177. Weber II, 402 (note). Röhricht 1184. Tobler 114. Cobham/Jeffery 7. Laor 967. Schwab 74. Cohen/de Ricci 610. Lipperheide Ci 48 (= 546). Graesse I, 552. OCLC 4619950. Cf. Blackmer 225 (2nd French ed.). Aboussouan 164 (1725 French 4to ed.).
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Burigny, Jean Levesque de.
Histoire des révolutions de l'Empire de Constantinople, depuis la fondation de cette ville, jusqu'à l'an 1453 que les Turcs s'en rendirent maîtres. Paris, de Bure, 1749.
8vo. 3 vols. XXXVI, 391, (1) pp. XVII, 579, (1) pp. VII, 559, 13 pp. Contemp. calf with double label to gilt spine; leading edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. All edges red. First edition of this history of the Byzantine Empire up to the fall of Constantinople and the beginning of the Ottoman reign. - Exceptionally beautiful set from the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. Cf. Blackmer 243. Atabey 168 (both dated "1750").
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Castellan, A. L.
Moeurs, usages, costumes des Othomans, et abrégé de leur histoire. Paris, Nepveu, 1812.
12mo. 6 vols. With 6 engraved frontispieces and 66 engraved plates, all in original hand colour. Contemp. calf gilt; all edges gilt. First edition. "Plates are by Dalvimart, most of them reduced from those in William Alexander’s ‘Costume of Turkey’" (Hiler). The pretty plates (some aquatints) depict not only various costumes and head coverings, but also dramatic scenes. - Well-preserved, appealingly bound copy with engraved bookplate of Baron de La Roche Lacarelle to pastedowns. Removed from the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. Blackmer 300. Aboussouan 189. Hage Chahine 821. Lipperheide Lb 42. Colas 545. Hiler 143. Auboyneau 370. Brunet I, 1226. Graesse I, 530.
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Chalkokondyles, Laonikos.
L'histoire de la decadence de l'empire grec. Paris, Mathieu Guillemot, 1632.
Folio (250 x 360 mm). 4 parts in 1 vol. (16), 1015, (29) pp. 289 cols., (3) pp. 4 pp., cols. 5-128 (+ 2 ff.), (2) pp. 65 ff., 66-114, (4) pp. (several mispaginations). With engr. t. p., 2 engr. plates, and numerous engravings in the text. Contemp. calf. All edges red. Chronicle of the early history of the Ottoman empire; one of several editions printed in the same year. First published in its French translation in 1577, this work by the Byzantine historian Chalkokondyles (c. 1423-90) was republished frequently throughout the 17th century, always including the account of Ottoman costumes and an interpretation of the seventeen enigmatic illustrations of Byzantine prophecies foretelling the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. The folding plate depicts a bird’s-eye view of Constantinople with its prominent buildings. The chronicle itself is illustrated by numerous portraits of rulers. The costume plates were originally designed for the travel account of Nicolas de Nicolay (1517-83), first published in 1567 (cf. Lipperheide Lb 2), who had visited the Ottoman court as a diplomat in the services of King Henry II. - Hinges and extremeties professionally repaired. Engraved title closely trimmed at top; slight loss to edge of plate showing the Turkish army as well as one costume plate. Occasional brownstaining and edge defects throughout. From the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. Cf. Atabey 214. Navari (Greek) 138. Hage Chahine 860-862. Navari (Greek) 138. Hamilton 23. Not in Blackmer.
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Chamberlayne, John.
Oratio dominica in diversas omnium fere gentium linguas versa. Amsterdam, W. & D. Goeree, 1715.
4to. 2 parts in 1 vol. (48), 94 (but: 96), (6) pp. (2), 256 (but: 156) pp. Title page printed in red and black. With 2 folding engr. plates and some 20 text engravings, all showing script specimens. - (Bound after) II: Morin, Stephan. Exercitationes de lingua primaeva ejusque appendicibus. Utrecht, Willem Broedelet, 1694. (14), 448, (8) pp. With engr. title page and 4 folding engr. plates. Contemp. Dutch blindstamped vellum with oriental-style, lozenge-shaped cover ornaments. First edition. - The Lord’s Prayer in more than 150 languages, including many European and Asian languages, but also Arabic (in two styles), Persian (in two styles), Syriac, Ottoman Turkish, etc., many of which are rendered both in Latin transliteration and in their original scripts, engraved in the text or as folding plates. The second part contains nine remarkable treatises on typefaces and languages, including the first publication ever of "De variis linguis" by the great German philosopher and polymath G. W. Leibniz. The English courtier John Chamberlayne (1666-1723) is said to have known sixteen languages; among his many writings is an immensely popular, amusing tract on coffee, tea, and hot chocolate which he published at the age of 19 (cf. DNB). - II: First edition. The plates show coins and medals from Palestine and Samaria. - One corner bumped. Insignificant browning; a good, clean copy. I: Ebert 3978. DNB IV, 9. Brunet I, 1761. Graesse II, 112. Ravier 317 (pt. 2 only). - II: Ebert 14415. Fürst II, 390. Lipsius 268.
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Contarini, Giovanni Pietro.
Historia von dem krieg, welchen newlich der Türckisch Keiser Selim der ander wieder die Venediger erreget hat. In Welscher und Lateinischer Sprach erst außgangen, jetzt aber von Georgen Henisch von Bartfeld verteutschet. Basel, Peter Perna, 1573.
4to. (8), 181, (1) pp. With folding woodcut map. Modern half calf. First German edition. - "This is an important source work for the battle of Lepanto. Contarini has written a detailed account of the battle, including the events leading up to it. He includes many interesting statistics - the source of the various ships, numbers of men taking part, etc." (Navari). "One of the most extensive accounts of the Battle of Lepanto, with details as to the Venetian, Spanish, and Papal ships" (cf. Göllner). - Title page numbered; a few old underlinings. Closely trimmed at upper edge (occasionally touching headlines); insignificant brownstaining. Very rare: not a single copy in postwar German auction records. Formerly in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. VD 16, C 4965. IA 143.974. BM-STC 221. Blackmer 396 (note). Schottenloher 43475 c. Apponyi 1837. Kertbeny 860. Göllner 1617.
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[Costumes].
Neu-eröffnetes Amphitheatrum [...] aus dem Gantzen America [...] Asia [...]. Neu-eröffnetes Amphitheatrum Turcicum. Erfurt, Johann Michael Funcke, 1723-1728.
Folio (214 x 342 mm). 3 vols. bound in one. (4), 120 (instead of 124) pp. (2), 142 pp. 172, (4) pp. Two title pages printed in red and black. With a total of 97 (instead of 98) half-page woodcuts in the text. Period style dark brown calf, elaborately gilt decorated spine and boards, red morocco spine label, raised bands, marbled endpapers. First editions of three separately issued parts of the very scarce "newly-opened amphitheatre", comprising the America, Asia, and Turkey volumes. The exceptional large woodcuts show the native inhabitants of the various parts of the world. Of special interest is the rare volume dedicated only to Ottoman society, as well as that on Asia: together, they cover the Islamic countries of the early modern period, including details on the Arabian Peninsula. Among the illustrations are various Muslim clerics, Northern Arabians and desert Arabians in Bedouin costume, coffee salesmen, sweetmeats salesmen, and a Turkish gentleman carrying the Qur'an on his head, as well as Persians, the Sultan, Janissaries, archers, dancers, etc. The Asia volume, produced later, repeats a single illustration but contains much new matter on Arabia, including a discussion of the Muslim religion, the Qur'an, ablutions performed with sand, and the trade in incense, coffee, and spices, as well as pearl fishing in Bahrain (p. 54). The America volume covers the discovery and exploration of America, with woodcut illustrations including portraits of Columbus, Vespucci, Magellan, and 30 depictions of Native Americans from throughout the New World, including Virginia, California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, etc. - This present set omits the parts on Europe and Africa, which were published first, and thus contains parts 3 (America) and 4 (Asia) of the four-part "Neu-eröffnetes Amphitheatrum" (the final part of which was produced only after a five-year hiatus), along with the "Neu-eröffnetes Amphitheatrum Turcicum", separately issued in 1723, from which the 1728 volume on Asia drew freely. Severely browned throughout due to paper. Title page of "America" vol. remargined; edge-wear to first and last few leaves only; wants quire G (pp. 25-28, including one illustration). Quire K in "Turkey" vol. (pp. 37-40) with expert paper repairs. In a highly appealing modern binding. Lipperheide Ac 5. Colas 2187. Hiler 652. Sabin 52360. Palmer 364. Not in Atabey or Blackmer. Not in Hünersdorff (Coffee).
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[Cyanea].
Cyanea. Oder die am Bosphoro Thracico, ligende hohe Stein-Klippen. Von welchen zu sehen seyn, gegen Mittag das Vor-Meer Propontis, mitternachts das Schwartze-Meer, Pontus Euxinus, mit denenselben umbligenden Ländern, wie auch den Insulen Cypern und Candien. Augsburg, Astaler f. Enderlin, 1687.
8vo. (4), 74, (2) pp. With 27 (17 folding) engr. plates and folding engr. map. Contemp. vellum (wants ties). One of several descriptions of the Mediterranean published by Enderlin. Includes reports of Constantinople, Moscow, and Kiev as well as the islands of Cyprus, Crete, and the Crimean. The plates show views of Candia, Canea, Famagusta, Kaminiek and Constantinople, as well as plants and animals. - Index to illustrations cropped and mounted on reverse of title. Some browning and brownstaining. Formerly in the Ottoman collection of the Swiss industrialist Herry W. Schaefer. VD 17, 23:279658Z. Blackmer 1303. Cf. Atabey 402.
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[Description de l'Égypte].
Description de l'Égypte, ou, Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'éxpédition de l'armée française. Planches. [Antiquities. Etat Moderne, Histoire Naturelle]. Paris, L'Imprimerie Imperiale, 1809.
Elephant folio (685 x 510 mm). 2 plate volumes. [Antiquities volume]: Half-title, title for Histoire Naturelle [!], list of artists (mounted). 92 large engraved plates, maps, and plans, including 2 colour, 9 double page, and a few folding, numbered 1-97 (lacking plates 15, 18, 49, 79, 87). - [Etat Moderne]: Half-title, title, list of artists (all trimmed and mounted). 57 engraved plates and maps, including 2 double page. 19th century green half morocco, spines gilt. All edges gilt. From the first comprehensive description of ancient and modern Egypt. Two plate volumes from the 23-volume series produced by the commission of scholars and artists that accompanied Napoleon's expedition to Egypt in 1798-1801. The complete set comprises 10 text and 13 plate volumes, divided into "Antiquités", "Mémoires", "Histoire naturelle", "Etat moderne", and "Carte topographique", published between 1809 and 1828. The present volumes are something of an amalgam: the spine and title page of one indicate the first volume of plates for "Histoire Naturelle", but the 92 large plates within are from the first volume of "Antiquités", depicting architecture and ruins, monuments, tombs, artifacts, views, elevations, and maps from Philae, Eswan, Edfou, Esne, Koum Omobu, and elsewhere. The volume labeled "Etat Moderne" (with a corresponding title page) features a selection of plates from volumes 1 and 2 of "Etat Moderne", in addition to 21 plates from the first volume of "Histoire Naturelle", including 17 ichthyological plates as well as plates mineralogical and botanical. - Condition report for "Antiquités": all plates backed with new sheets, scattered foxing (significant to 2 or 3 plates) and a few pale dampstains, a few repaired tears and marginal restorations, lower third of plate 10 lacking, some restoration to spine. - "Etat Moderne": Plates trimmed at plate marks and mounted to elephant folio sheets, dampstaining throughout at upper right quarter, restoration to margins outside image of several plates, title page trimmed close at upper margin and worn at lower margin, plate 14 scuffed with loss of text, foxing throughout, staining to natural history plates, repairs to margins mostly outside of image of several plates. Blackmer 476. Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 239. Gay 1999. Cf. Tobler p. 236 (citing the Carte Topographique only). Heritage Library, Islamic Treasures, s. v. "Art" (illlustration). Graesse II, 365.
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Dhahabi, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al- / Fischer, August.
Biographien von Gewährsmännern des Ibn Ishâq, hauptsächlich aus ad-Dahabî. Leiden, E. J. Brill, 1890.
(4), XVIII, (2), 116 pp. Original printed wrappers. An edition of Arabic biographies, mainly taken from Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Dhahabi's (1274-1348) "Tadhhib Tahdhib al-Kamal", an abridgement of al-Mizzi's abridgement of al-Maqdisee's "Al-Kamal fi Asma' al-Rijal", a compendium of historical biographies for hadith narrators. Puvlished as a Halle dissertation. - Some edge, spine and wrapper defects. Uncut. OCLC 57075606.
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Domenicus Germanus.
Fabrica overo Dittionario della lingua volgare arabica, et italiana. Rome, Sac. Congreg. de Propaganda Fide, 1636.
4to. (10), 102 pp. With woodcut title vignette to title page. Later half vellum (c. 1850). First edition. "Inscriptio fallax; Dictionarii haud quidpiam exhibet liber; Grammatica est, et quasi prolusio et praecursio Dictionarii, brevi post editi" (Schnurrer). First issue with Arabic letters from the printing office of the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide, established in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV. Not actually a dictionary, as the title suggests, but rather an introduction to vernacular Arabic. Three years later, the Franciscan Dominicus (1588-1670), known as Germanus (from Silesia), would publish an Arabic-Italian dictionary, entitled "Fabrica linguae Arabicae" - which has no connection with the present work, in spite of the similar title. - Old shelfmark on reverse of title page. Rare. STC 306. Smitskamp 224. Schnurrer 67.Brunet II, 1553. Ebert 8379. LThK III, 396. Zaunmüller 18 (imprecise).
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Drouville, Gaspard.
Voyage en Perse, fait en 1812 et 1813. Troisième édition. Paris, Masson & Yonet, 1828.
2 vols. 8vo. (4), XI, (1), XXV, (26)-264, (2) pp. (4), 259, (1) pp. With 2 engr. frontispieces and 6 engr. plates, all in contemp. colour. Contemp. marbled half calf with double giltstamped spine labels. Marbled endpapers. Third edition. - Drouville was a cavalry officer who went to Persia in the service of the Tsar and spent three years there. His vivid account of Persian manners, customs, and military organisation contains charming costume plates in contemporary colour. - Occasional minor brownstaining; professional repairs to spine-ends. Hage Chahine 1413. Wilson 62. Graesse II, 435. Cf. Howgego II, G2 (1st and 2nd ed.). Henze II, 97. Lipperheide Lc 9. Colas 901. Hiler 249 (all for the 1825 second ed. 1825 only). Schwab 144. Diba Collection p. 180 (first ed.).
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[East India Company].
Anno decimo tertio Georgii III. Regis. An Act for establishing certain Regulations for the better Management of the Affairs of the East India Company, as well in India as in Europe. [Fi al-sanath al-salisah `ashar min julus al-Malik Jurj al-Salis. Dasturi bara-yi istihkam-i bandubast-i mushakhkhas banabar bihbudi intizam-i mu` amalat-i Inglish Kampani dar Hindustan chunankih dar Firangistan]. London, Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1774.
Small folio (232 x 280 mm). 36 ff. Contemporary marbled wrappers. All edges gilt. The Regulating Act of 1773, published in Persian and English on opposite pages. - British interest in Persia and the Arabian Gulf originated in the 16th century and steadily increased as British India’s importance rose in the 18th century. In the beginning, the agenda was primarily of a commercial character: realizing the region's significance, the British fleet supported Shah Abbas in expelling the Portuguese from Hormuz in 1622. In return, the British East India Company was permitted to establish a trading post in the coastal city of Bandar 'Abbas, which became their principal port in the Gulf. The Company became responsible for conducting British foreign policy in the region, and concluded various treaties, agreements and engagements with Gulf states. In 1763 the EIC established a permanent residency at Bushehr, on the Persian side of the Gulf. By the early 1770s, the East India Company was in severe financial straights due both to corruption and nepotism as well as from steeply declining tea sales to America and heavy annual payments made to maintain the trading monopoly. When approached for assistance, the government enacted legislation to supervise ("regulate") the activities of the Company. This "Act for establishing certain Regulations for the better Management of the Affairs of the East India Company" constituted the first step toward eventual British government control of India, thus radically limiting the role of EIC in the administration of India. In 1784, little more than a decade later, Pitt's India Act would take reforms even further. - Another issue in the same year is known, with identical typesetting, but in which each page of text is enclosed within an engraved frame (these copies are printed in a taller folio format ). Slight edge repairs; spine restored. From the library of William Aldersey, president of the board of trade in Bengal, with his ownership (dated 1774) to recto of f. 1. ESTC T145421. OCLC 560572771.
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[Broadsheet].
Hanoch, die Erste Statt der Welt. [Prague, J. Hiller, c. 1730?].
Folio (271 x 493 mm). Broadsheet with 5 engravings and two columns of letterpress. Extremely rare, uncommon print describing the legendary Biblical city of Enoch, the "first city of the world", founded by Cain and named after his first son (cf. Gen. 4:17). The centre of the sheet shows a large (264 x 152 mm) view of the city (workmen erecting the walls in the background; Cain's family farming in the foreground), with numerous animals including elephants and lions. The smaller engravings to the left and right (130 x 85 mm each) show pumpkins ("Pepones"), a white falcon, a crane, and several marine animals (including a seal, dolphin, and sand flea). To the left and right of these are columns of letterpress text describing the city in eight twelve-line verses. - The style of the view is obviously closely related to the illustrations familiar from the Prague engraver Jan Hiller (active 1716-46, cf. Dlabacz, Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon für Böhmen I, 628-631), who also provided the plates for Myller's "Peregrinus in Jerusalem", a work that not only contains several topographical views, but also botanical and zoological illustrations. The Myller plate "La Ragna, die Meer-Spinne" shows several of the marine creatures depicted here in exactly the same fashion: clearly, Hiller re-used his work for the present broadsheet. This conclusion is further supported by the fact that the five plates evidence varying degrees of wear: while the large, central illustration shows good, strong contrast, the other four are markedly fainter. - Mounted on sturdy paper, probably by a near-contemporary collector; trimmed close to the plate edges. Slight brownstaining.
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