Wallin, Georg August (Yrjö Aukusti).MareMagnum
3.989 Ergebnisse
8vo. VII, (1), 126 pp., final blank f. With lithogr. map at the end of the volume; printed notes of a Bedouin melody within the text. Contemporary green half calf with giltstamped spine title and marbled sides, original printed yellow wrappers bound within with wood-engraved desert illustration on back cover. First edition, published posthumously. - Extremely rare account of Wallin's principal journey through Arabia, unknown to most bibliographers: "It was not until two years after his death", writes Henze, "that the report of his first (and most important) journey (performed in 1845, a year before the appearance of the first volume of Carl Ritter's 'Arabia') was published". This refers to the English "Narrative of a Journey from Cairo to Medina and Mecca", which was printed in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society in 1854. In fact, an extensive account of the first leg of this highly significant journey was first given to the world in December 1853, but little more than a year after the author's passing. Of this Swedish-language book, edited by Berndt Otto Schauman, less than two dozen copies are known worldwide, 12 of which are in Finnish libraries (the remainder distributed throughout Sweden [4 copies], Germany [2 copies], Denmark, France, and the U.S.A. [a single copy each]). In contrast with the later JRGS publication, the present work includes an appendix rendering Arabic terms and phrases that occur throughout the text in the original language and script. - Like his more famous contemporary J. L. Burckhardt, Wallin was fluent in Arabic and, in local costume, was capable of passing for a scholarly sheikh. Indeed, the two explorers are often compared: "I see many points of resemblance between them, the same iron constitution, the same versatility, the same indomitable energy, the same imperturbable temper" (H. C. Rawlinson, quoted in Henze). Financially backed by his alma mater, the University of Helsinki, Wallin departed for the Middle East in 1843 and set out on his expeditions from Cairo under the name of Abd al-Wali. "In 1845, proceeding southeast across the wastelands of the Nafud Desert, he reached Ha'il then continued by force of circumstances southward to Medina and Mecca. From there he returned to Egypt" (Howgego). More precisely, he "moved eastwards from Wadi al-Araba, first touching upon the upper regions of Wadi Sirhan, then on to the oasis of Djuf ('Algawf') and crossed the central regions of Shammar, via Djobbah ('Gubbi'), the Great Nefud ('Nufood'), and Hail [...] Of Shammar and its inhabitants he provided the fullest account, unsurpassed by later travellers in its scholarly precision" (Henze). After his return to Europe in 1850, Wallin was made Professor of oriental languages at Helsingfors. His notes provide a detailed overview of the political and religious movements and the role of the different tribes in Palestine and especially in Saudi Arabia. - Occasional brownstaining; binding somewhat rubbed, but a fine copy on the whole. Provenance: contemp. ownership "Bergelin" to front wrapper cover; bookplate of the journalist Kurt Bergengren (1920-85) on pastedown. K.-E. Henriksson (A Wallin Bibliography), in: Studia orientalia 17 (1952), p. 13-16, at p. 13. OCLC 551923531. Cf. Macro 2262. Howgego II (1800-50), W12, p. 627. Henze V, 452 (all citing only the 1854 JRGS publication). Cf. Fück 198 (mentioning the journey). Not in Gay or Ibrahim-Hilmy.
17 vols. Royal 8vo (24 x 16 cm). With numerous illustrations (including the series by Albert Letchford), repeated on laid paper; the 17 frontispieces repeated in colour. Contemporary three quarter olive green morocco, gold-tooled spine, tops gilt. A handsome edition of Burton's "Arabian Nights", finely illustrated and printed in a limited edition of 100 hand-numbered copies. Bold to a fault, Richard Burton travelled to Mecca, explored the African Great Lakes, shocked his readers with his candid travel accounts, and gained fame and riches with his translation of the Arabian Nights. The first edition was published in 1885-88 and re-issued by the Burton Club shortly thereafter. The present edition is a reprint of the first Burton Club edition, illustrated with, among others, Albert Letchford's famous plates. - Spines slightly faded. Fine set, uncut and partly unopened. Cf. Howgego III, B98 (p. 146, first ed. 1885-88).
Folio. (32), 248, (36) pp. With engraved frontispiece by Christian Rothgiesser, full-page engraved author's portrait, double-page engraved map, and 21 large engravings in text, mostly signed by Rothgiesser; woodcut initials and head- and tailpieces. Contemporary blind-ruled leather, remnants of ties. First complete German edition of an important and entertaining travel account by Johann Albrecht von Mandelslo, edited by Adam Olearius. Mandelslo was attached to the diplomatic mission of Frederick III, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, to Moscow and Persia. Frederick's aim was to negotiate a new trade route for Persian silk and to make his small duchy an important centre of European silk trade. After visiting Moscow, the mission continued along the Volga to Astrakhan and from there to Persia, crossing the Caspian Sea near Shamakhi. Via Ardabil, Qazvin and Kasan the party finally reached the capital, Isfahan. The ambassadors remained in Persia for several months (only to return without concrete results), but Mandelslo travelled further to the east. He sailed from Hormuz to Surat and proceeded through Gujarat to Agra, Lahore, Goa, Bijapur and Malaba, visiting Ceylon, Madagascar, the Cape of Good Hope and St. Helena on his return voyage in 1639. Before his death 5 years later, he had entrusted his rough notes to Olearius, who subsequently published them with a third part containing descriptions of the Coromandel coast, Bengal, Siam, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Bantam, the Philippines, Formosa (Tai-wan), China and Japan. Small contemporary owner's entry ("Jos[eph] Baudler"?). Some foxing and brownstaining; slight tears in lower margin of pp. 31 and 137. A very good copy of an important account of an embassy to Persia and further to the East. VD 17, 23:233226D. Lipperheide Ld 1. Adelung II, pp. 306-308. Alt-Japan-Katalog 943. Bircher A 6927f. Cordier, Japonica, cols. 362-368. Cox I, 271f. Dünnhaupt, pp. 293-294, 30.1. V. Gelder, Het Oost-Indisch avontuur, pp. 77, 99, 263. Howgego I M38. Commissariat, "Mandelslo's Travels in Western India", in: The Geographical Journal, 78 (1931), pp. 375ff.
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.
Stencil-coloured lithograph. 33.7 x 42.8 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 with minor edge damage; occasional browning. All of these prints are very rare; a different print commanded £21,250 at Sotheby's in 2012.
Small folio (230 x 295 mm). Arabic manuscript on cream-coloured paper. 58 ff. (plus 2 flyleaves), 5 lines per extensum, written in crisp Sini script in black ink. Text within red double rules, verses separated by gilt roundels, surah heading in gold outlined in red. Opening bifolio with brightly coloured and gilt quasi-geometric illumination, final bifolio with gold and polychrome Central Asian floral and tendril motifs in the borders. Contemporary blind-tooled brown leather binding with fore-edge flap. Indigo blue cotton endpapers. Prettily illuminated Qur'an Juz' (one of thirty parts of varying lengths into which the Qur'an is divided) written in late 18th or early 19th century China. Arab presence in China dates back as far as the first Caliphate: the Prophet's companion Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas is traditionally credited with introducing Islam to China as ambassador in 650. Indeed, many major cities in China, such as Xi'an (or Chang'an, as it was known during the height of the Silk Road) and Beijing boast a long and rich Muslim history. Qur'an sections written by Chinese Muslims show Chinese influence clearly in both the decoration and the script, which is derived from naskh. The section of the Qu'ran copied here is the twelfth Juz', which comprises surah 11 (Hud), aya 6, to surah 12 (Yusuf), aya 52, named after the prophets Hud and Joseph. - Fingerstaining to lower corner and margin; a few leaves loose. An attractively illuminated example of the Chinese Muslim manuscript tradition.
Small folio (ca. 210 x 300 mm). 74 pp. Arabic manuscript in black Naskh, headings and key words in red, ruled in red (often to form tables and geometric patterns). Several diagrams, 2 ff. with circular diagrams, some ruled leaves blank. Contemporary limp leather. A theological manuscript entitled "The book of description (or attributes) of the Prophet and the Leader". - Binding a little rubbed, spine chipped. A few leaves loosened. Some light staining and finger-soiling throughout; a few ink smudges; a number of edge tears (some professionally repaired).
Large 4to (176 x 262 mm). Arabic ms. on oriental paper. 325 ff., expertly written naskh script, possibly in more than one hand, black ink with rubrics, usually 6-8 lines to the page, considerable interlinear and marginal glossing. Full-leather Islamic binding with fore-edge flap; original blind tooled ornamentation (medallion). Manual on Islamic Law by Abu al-Barakat `Abdallah b. Ahmad b. Mahmud al-Nasafi (d. 710/1310), an important Hanafi legist and theologian. Born in Nasaf in Sogdian, he taught in the Madrasa al-Kutbiya al-Sultaniya in Kirman, came to Baghdad in 710 and died in Rabi` I 710 (August 1310), apparently on his return journey to Idjadj (in Khuzistan), where he was buried. The Kanz al-Daqa'iq is an important text on Hanafite law and formed the basis for a great number of commentaries, especially in the 9th/14th and 10th/15th centuries (EI² VII, p. 96; GAL II, pp. 250-53). Contains both the `Ibadat and the Mu`amalat. - Final 12 leaves (f. 313ff.) show edge damage with some loss of text. Copied by Khidr b. Shaykh `Ali (colophon in a chancery hand on f. 325v). Cf. GAL S II, 265.
Imperial folio (520 x 415 mm). 17, (1) pp. With additional coloured title in Persian and 44 coloured plates. Original blue cloth portfolio with gilt-embossed floral and oriental decoration. Marbled endpapers. Very rare monograph about Henri Moser's collection of oriental arms and armour. The present copy in German is no. 103 of a small press run of 125 German copies (total number of copies: 300). The outstanding plates, printed in colour by the Vienna Court Printing Office, show extraordinary pieces of Moser's precious collection containing over 1,300 weapons. The Swiss merchant and art patron Henri Moser (1844-1923) left Schaffhausen at the age of 23 and began travelling through Asia. During his expeditions he collected many pieces of art, weapons, armour, and hunting trophies. His remarkable collection was displayed at various museums throughout Europe. - Cloth portfolio splitting at hinges. A few insignificant edge flaws; some staining, mainly confined to the text fascicule, otherwise in excellent condition.
8vo. (12), 200 ff. Title with architectural woodcut border. 17th century vellum with ms. title to spine. An early merchants' guide to the measurements of the Mediterranean and Near East, this pocketbook for sixteenth-century Italian traders is one of the foremost sources for the study of the metrologies of Venice and her trading partners in the early sixteenth century. It enabled conversion between Venetian currency, weights and measures and units of other Italian city-states, European neighbours and more exotic locations in the Levant, North Africa, the Near and Middle East, including Constantinople, Aleppo, Tripoli, Damascus, Cyprus, Corfu, Rhodes, and Crete. Pasi's manual is invaluable as a record of the panoply of commodities traded in the Mediterranean at the beginning of the sixteenth century, including pearls, silks, wool, saffron, chestnuts, figs, galangal, vegetable oils, gold and silver. On fols. 3, 11, and 12, Pasi recorded the tariffs on pearls in Damascus, Aleppo, Cairo, Alexandria, Constantinople and Venice. It is very likely that the famous merchant Balbi carried a copy of this classic with him on his travels. First printed in Venice in 1503, and again in 1521, this 1540 edition appears to be the third and was followed by another in 1557. -- Some brownstaining to preliminary matter; a few contemporary ink marginalia slightly trimmed in the course of the 17th-century rebinding. On the whole an excellent clean copy. Very rare: the only copy of any edition to surface at auction within the last thirty years appears to be the Honeyman copy of the 1503 edition. Kress 51. Adams P 374. Smith, Rara Arithmetica, 79. Cf. Goldsmiths' 7 (1503 edition). R. A. Donkin, Beyond price. Pearls and pearl fishing: origins to the age of discoveries (Philadelphia, 1998), p. 138.
12mo. XXX, 161, 113 pp. Contemporary half calf with title to giltstamped spine and marbled boards. Endpapers and edges marbled. First edition of "Sind-Bâd" and the first independent printing of any part of the Arabian Nights in Arabic. Although traditionally included in the corpus of the Thousand and One Nights (Alf Layla wa Layla) as told by Scheherazade, it is thought that the series of stories that make up the voyages of Sindbad have older and separate origins, incorporating elements of Homer, Panchatantra, other Persian, Arab and Indian literary material as well as historical material relating to trade and navigation. Set traditionally during the reign of Haroun al-Rashid, Sindbad undertakes seven voyages from Basra, each leading one to the other, encounters fabulous creatures, faces exhaustive ordeals and amasses fabulous wealth. The publisher of the present edition, Louis-Mathieu Langlès (1763-1824), an important figure in the study of Middle-Eastern and Oriental languages and literature, was a correspondent of William Jones in Calcutta, co-founder of the École des Langues Orientales Vivantes in Paris, and the keeper of the Indian manuscript department in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. "Un ouvrage classique, et d'une certaine importance sous le point de vue scientifique, historique ou littéraire" (preface). Chauvin VII, p. 2. Brunet III, 820. OCLC 4433261.
Folio (387 x 242 mm). 49 hand-coloured illustrations on 6 plates and hand-coloured folding lithographed backdrop (desert scene; ca. 580 x 224 mm). Original blue wrappers with lithographed cover label. Charming Mignon Theatre of the kind popularized by the Viennese publisher Trentsensky around the mid-19th century and distributed throughout England by their London agent Myers, & Co. on the corner of Oxford and Berners Street. The desert landscape backdrop is to be populated by the pilgrims, camels, resting horses, etc., with plants, a large tent, a cooking fire, and many other details, all to be cut out from the present set of plates. Issued as "Exercises in Colouring", this set was clearly coloured by a trained contemporary artist rather than a dilettante. - The front cover is stained, spine splitting, but the plates are clean and well-preserved. Rarely encountered complete, well-coloured, and in the original state. Another example, prominently featured in the 2012 Hajj exhibition at the British Museum, was cut and mounted. Hajj. Journey to the heart of Islam. London, British Museum 2012, p. 125 (fig. 125).
8vo. (16), 220, (12) pp. With full-page woodcut illustration at the end of the preliminaries. Contemporary blindstamped calf over wooden boards with two clasps. Exceptionally rare Arabic Psalter, the first of several reprintings of 'Abd Allah ibn al-Fadl al-Antaki's translation which had first appeared in Aleppo in 1706. Translated from the Greek Septuaginta Version, with the kathismata interspersed between the Psalms and with the Canticles following them. Edited, with a Paschalion for the years 1709-39 at the end, by Philipp Ghailán. - Only two copies known in institutional collections; collation agrees with that of the British Library copy (Biblioteca Marciana collation omits 116 pp. of preliminary matter). Binding professionally repaired; noticeable worming, mainly confined to margins. Some browning throughout; slight waterstaining near end. A few early 19th century inked notes in Hebrew. Provenance: 18th-century bookplate "Ex bibliotecha Johannis Marchioni Plebani Veneti" on final endpaper. Darlow/Moule I, 1653 (note). BL shelfmark: Asia, Pacific & Africa 14501.a.31. Marciana shelfmark: 133-C-176. OCLC 945484585 (digital reproduction only).
Latin ms. on vellum. 378 x 210 mm. Papered seal. Signed by Charles Soillot (1434-93?), secretary to Charles the Bold. Letter of "sauf conduit" (safe conduct) for the merchant and diplomat Anselm Adornes (1424-83) for a Burgundian embassy to Persia: "[...] Universis principibus baronibus militibus et plebeis quibus hec nostre littere fuerint ostense, benivolenciam nostram et salutem universitatem vestram et vestrum quemlibet. Rogamus quatenus dilectum et fidelem consiliarium, oratorem et cambellanum nostrum dominum Anselmum Adornes militem, dominum de Corthuy, harum latorem, quem ad nonnullas orientales partes impresentiarum mittimus cum penes vos venerit seu per terras et dominia vestra iter fecerit benevole recipere, amoreque nostri et contemplatione favorabiliter tractare et tractari mandare velitis eumdem unacum viginti personis et totidem equis seu aliis equitaturis aut inferius, permittendo transire sine pedagio, gabella, fundonavis, datia aut alia exactione quacunque [...]". - From March to June 1474, Adornes, Lord of Cortachy, led an embassy in the name of Charles the Bold to the Shah of Persia Uzun Hassan (1423-78), whom the Duke of Burgundy sought to persuade to engage in a new military expedition against the Ottomans, following a campaign in the previous year which had ended in Uzun Hassan's defeat by Mehmed II. Adornes was chosen for this mission due to his knowledge of Muslim territories; he had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem in 1470/71 (the account of his journey written by his son Jan is still preserved). - One of the most illustrious members of the Adornes-Adorno family, of Genoese origin, and a wealthy patron, Anselm was closely involved in international trade (mainly in alum and cloth from Tournai and England). He maintained commercial relations with Genoa as well as Spain and played an important role in Burgundian diplomacy. - Some wrinkling as common; traces of folds. Well preserved. Messager des sciences historiques ou Archives des arts et de la bibliographie de Belgique (1881), pp. 41-42. Cf. Nationaal biografisch woordenboek XII, 2/25. C. van Hoorebeeck, Livres et lectures des fonctionnaires bourguignons (Turnhout, 2014), passim.
Folio (214 x 334 mm). X, 565, (3) pp. With 1 folding map. Modern half cloth. Includes the first publication of the treaties closed by the British with the Gulf sheikhdoms following General W. Grant Keir's raid on Ras al-Khaimah in 1819/20: the preliminary treaties with Hassan bin Rama (Ras al-Khaimah, 8 Jan. 1820); Sultan bin Sakr (9 Jan. 1820), Sheikh Kameya bin Mahomed bin Jabin al Moyeying, Sheikh of Kishmee, of Dubai (9 Jan. 1820), Sheikh Shakhbool bin Dhyab of Abu Dhabi (11 Jan. 1820), Hassan bin Ali, for Sharjah, Umm al-Quwain, Ajman, and Abu Dhabi (15 Jan. 1830). Also, Sketch of the Articles proposed to H.H. the Imaum of Muscat for the Prevention of the Foreign Slave Trade, in 1822. - Slight waterstaining near beginning, but well-preserved. Rare. OCLC 45474897.
8vo. 156 pp. With one folding map of Japan. Contemporary gilt full red morocco with the giltstamped inscription "A Sa Majesté Impériale Le Sultan. Hommage de l'Auteur" to upper cover, Ottoman crest to lower cover, and giltstamped spine. Leading edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. First edition of this synopsis of the political and religious history of Japan, by the Belgian diplomat, photographer and writer Eggermont (1844-1923), who was appointed councillor to the legation of Belgium in Japan from 1876 to 1877. Author's presentation copy for the Sultan with the dedication giltstamped to the upper cover. The book's first part discusses Shintoism and Buddhism; the second part presents an overview of Japanese history from the origins of the Japanese people until the 1868 Meji Restoration. - Lacks upper half of the title-page; lower half is transposed before the half-title and glued on top of it, thus omitting the author's name. - From the library of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (1842-1918), the last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire to exert effective contol over the fracturing state and also remembered as a poet, translator and one of the dynasty's greatest bibliophiles. While his passion for books is memorialized by the many precious donations he gave to libraries all over the world and which mostly have remained intact to this day (including the 400-volume "Abdul-Hamid II Collection of Books and Serials" gifted to the Library of Congress), his own library was dispersed in the years following his deposition in 1909: books were removed to other palaces and even sold to Western collectors; the greatest part of his collection is today preserved in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin. - Extremities insignificantly rubbed; paper somewhat foxed throughout. An appealing copy in a finely gilt presentation binding. OCLC 249076616.
8vo (206 x 162 mm). XVIII, 30 pp. Original printed paper wrappers. Housed in a full black morocco case with cloth chemise. Second edition of FitzGerald's translation, substantially expanded and revised. Omar Khayyám was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and poet, famous in his own country and time chiefly for his scientific achievements. He is known to English-speaking readers mostly due to FitzGerald's translations, which were quite free and liberal in their paraphrasing and would prove to be the "most popular verse translation into English ever made" (Decker, p. xiv). - Five hundred copies of the second edition were printed, with Quaritch selling each at a price of 1s. 6d.; when a copy re-appeared in their catalogue in 1929, it had already reached a price of £52 10s. (Potter, p. 12). Fitzgerald substantially revised the text of the Rubáiyát four times, with none of these five versions seen as truly definitive. The first edition had 75 quatrains, while the present second edition, which has 110 quatrains, is the longest of the five. - Some light foxing throughout. Some soiling and creasing to wrappers; contemporary ownership inscription, dated 1869, to upper cover. Potter 129.
7 parts in 3 volumes, bound as 1. 4to. 60; 67, [1 blank], 88, 40; [4], 84 (lacking pp. 85-102), 42, [2], 70 pp. Lacking pp. 85-102 in vol. 3. Contemporary stiff paper wrappers covered with paste-paper (calico pattern), with blank paper title-label on front. Rare first and only edition of a catalogue of the plants found on the island of Java, Indonesia. The work was published in three volumes, the first containing descriptions of plants not recorded by Rumphius and Houttuyn and the second and third listing all the plant names in Latin, Dutch and Malay/Javanese, with reference to Linnaeus, the Malay/Javanese set in roman type. The volumes were printed at the presses of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in Batavia on the island of Java (now Jakarta, Indonesia). - Jacobus Cornelis Matthieu de Radermacher (1741-1783), started as a Dutch merchant in service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and rapidly rose in position in the company. By 1781 Radermacher was named Commissioner for the Fleet and the Army, and Common Council of India. He was one of the founding members of Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen and a proponent of the establishment of the botanical gardens of Buitenzorg. In 1783 he left for Holland because of his health, but was murdered during a mutiny on his way home. - With a tiny tear in the second leaf and a couple of minor spots, otherwise in very good condition and only slightly trimmed, but lacking pp. 85-102 of volume three. Leaves E1-E2 of the same volume are included twice. The spine of the wrappers is tattered and its foot completely gone. Landwehr & V.d. Krogt, VOC 615. Pritzel 7392. Stafleu & Cowan 8501 (2 copies, both incomplete). STCN (2 copies). WorldCat (3 copies). not in Hunt. Johnston. for the author: NNBW II, cols. 1153-1154.
4to (175 x 235 mm). (8), 38 pp., final blank leaf. Title-page printed in red and black with engraved vignette. Contemporary Italian full auburn calf, spine gilt, both covers ruled and gilt with the arms of the Prince of Morocco. Marbled pastedowns. All edges gilt. Rare single edition of this compilation of documents relating to the conversion of the Muslim Prince Muley Ahmed, who took the Christian name Lorenzo Bartolomeo Luigi Troiano; printed for Pope Clement XII. Prince Muley Ahmed was a member of the Alaouite dynasty, the ruling house of Morocco - a major propaganda coup for the Christian cause at a time when Morocco variously clashed with the French, Spanish, and Venetian merchant navies. This is the Prince's personal copy, bearing on both covers the Moroccan lion's crest with a sceptre and crown. - Light brownstaining throughout. The pretty armorial binding is very slightly rubbed, but altogether attractively preserved. Extremely rare; only five copies known worldwide, all in Italy; none recorded in OCLC. ICCU UBOE\006375.
4to. 160 pp. Ottoman Turkish text set in Arabic characters. Half-title on the upper wrapper and the first page of text are set within a decorative printed frame. With an integral manuscript French translation of the text in the margins. Original publisher's printed paper wrappers. - With: (II) [Shaikhzade Ahmed Misri] / Belleteste, [Henri Nicolas]. Contes Turcs en langue turque, extraits du roman intitulé, les quarante vizirs. [= Kirk vezir hikâyeleri ...]. Ibid., 1812. 4to. (2), 258, (2) pp. The text is entirely in Ottoman Turkish except for an additional title-page in French. Both Arabic and French title-pages include the vignette of the French Imprimerie Impériale. Blue wrappers with a white printed title label on the spine, stored in a custom-made case: half red leather with the title in gold on the spine and white and green decorated sides. Two excellent examples of Arabic type printing by the French Imprimerie Impériale: the 1812 edition of "the history of the forty viziers" in Ottoman Turkish. This collection of Turkish folk tales is a variation of the Thousand and One Nights stories. These frame stories play an important role in the storytelling tradition of the Middle East and often form the basis (Middle) Eastern literature in general. Examples of these stories are found in early Indian, Iranian and Arabic sources, but the exact origin of the stories of the forty viziers is not clear. The stories and/or the first translations of the stories from Arabic were attributed to Ahmed-i Misri and/or Seyhzade (or Sheykh-Zada), about whom nothing is known. These names were possibly pseudonyms of the actual authors-translators who did not want to be associated with stories that were composed in prose, had suggestive or crude passages, and were compiled from other earlier frame stories. - According to extant sources, the entire collection of folk tales concerning the stories of the viziers could contain eighty stories, forty of the viziers during the day and forty of the women during the night. In addition, the stories could also include various advice sections, other small stories, Arabic, Persian and Turkish poems, verses, hadiths, dreams and their interpretations. Different compositions and adaptations would differ in size and would contain varying sets of stories from the complete collection. - I: A unique annotated early 19th century copy of "Kirk vezir hikâyeleri" (The stories of forty queens), known as the "History of the forty viziers", containing an integral and literal translation of the first 160 pages of the Ottoman Turkish work. The translation and further annotations on Ottoman Turkish syntax and vocabulary are written in a (near) contemporary hand in brown ink. The marginal annotations were probably written around the 1820s by a French orientalist. This particular manuscript translation is unique and one of the very first French translation of these stories. Another adaptation of the stories, containing 19 stories and the introduction, was translated into French by François Pétis de la Croix as "L'histoire de la sultane de Perse et des vizirs", published in Paris in 1722. - II: The present copy is a complete example of the 1812 edition. It contains forty stories, including the introduction, the story of (and dedication to) Sultan Mahmud, the frame story, twenty stories of the viziers, and twenty stories of the women. - Both works are compiled by the French orientalist Henri-Nicolas Belleteste (Belletête, ca. 1746-1808) and published posthumously. Belleteste was educated in Oriental languages and in 1798 he was appointed government interpreter. He subsequently served as a military interpreter during the Egyptian Campaign led by Napoleon Bonaparte (1798-1801). He published an Arabic vocabulary for military use and together with French orientalist Jean-Daniel Kieffer (1767-1833), Belleteste translated the Bulletins de la Grande Armée into Turkish for Napoleon's campaigns from 1805 to 1807. He had taken on the project of translating a collection of Turkish stories, entitled in French "Les Quarante Vizirs" (the forty viziers), allegedly from a manuscript found in Egypt. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly at the age of 30 in 1808, thus leaving the work unfinished. Nevertheless, an edition of the Ottoman Turkish text Belleteste was translating was published in 1812, expertly printed in Arabic characters by the French Imprimerie Impériale, of which the present two works are examples. - I: With the integral manuscript translation of the text into French in a contemporary (ca. 1820s) hand in brown ink in the margins. Front wrapper detached, spine damaged, edges frayed, lacking the back wrapper and the last 96 pages of the work. - II: Without the frequently missing 48 pp. of Belleteste's unfinished French translation. Wrappers are slightly stained and slightly damaged, mainly around the spine and the edges, without affecting the integrity of the binding. The text has generous, uncut margins, thus the edges are slightly frayed. The custom-made case is slightly scuffed around the corners and edges. Otherwise in good condition. - Overall, these works present an extraordinary example of early 19th century Arabic printing by the French Imprimerie Impériale together with a unique manuscript translation of the text of the "history of the forty Viziers", into French by an unidentified early 19th-century orientalist. Atabey 908 (incomplete). Chauvin VIII, p. 18, no. 52. Zenker I, 729. Brunet 17781. Gay/Lemonnier I, 718. Not in Blackmer.
(III)-XV, (1), 478 pp. Modern boards. With a folding map of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Edges sprinkled green. Rare, early British parliamentary papers and correspondence with British agents and residents regarding the slave trade. Includes communications relevant to slavery in Africa and India, with reports by the Agent at Muscat on the landing of slaves in that city's harbour (p. 383) and the kidnapping of children by Muslim slave dealers and their conveyance to "Arabia and the Persian Gulf" (p. 426f.), as well as instructions to the Resident in the Persian Gulf "immediately to communicate with the Arab Chiefs" to pursue the objective of suppressing the slave trade in the Arabian seas (p. 382). - Well preserved, with additional page numbers in a contemporary hand. OCLC 25471335.
27 maps, ca. 54 x 84 cm to 104 x 98 cm. Printed in brown tones. Transverse Mercator projection, constant ratio linear horizontal scale 1:250,000 scale (except for OF-02-32 through 02-35, which are on a scale of 1:500,000). All in their original printed orange envelopes. The joint NASA/USGS Landsat Programme started in the early 1970s, providing the longest continuous space-based record of the Earth’s surface. Its "OF" (Open File reports) series was designed to publish urgent interim or preliminary information edited with only a single peer review. As of 1992, 11 sets had been produced, which included a mixture of maps and other documents, prefixed OF-01 through OF-10 and OF-92. The present set comprises 27 maps from the 91 documents that made up the OF-02 set. Comprises individually: - OF-02-12 (IR 325): Halaban Quadrangle, Sheet 23G; OF-02-14 (IR 327): Al Hawtah Quadrangle, Sheet 23I; OF-02-15 (IR 328): Yabrin Quadrangle, Sheet 23J; OF-02-16 (IR 329): Ad Dawadimi Quadrangle, Sheet 24G; OF-02-17 (IR 330): Durma Quadrangle, Sheet 24H; OF-02-19 (IR 335): Harad Quadrangle, Sheet 24J; OF-02-20 (IR 336): Aban Al Ahmar Quadrangle, Sheet 25F; OF-02-21 (IR 339): Al Faydah Quadrangle, Sheet 25G; OF-02-22 (IR 340): Shaqra Quadrangle, Sheet 25H; OF-02-23 (IR 341): Rumah Quadrangle, Sheet 25I; OF-02-24 (IR 419): Jabal Habashi quadrangle, Sheet 26F; OF-02-25 (IR 420): Buraydah Quadrangle, Sheet 26G; OF-02-26 (IR 421): Qiba Quadrangle, Sheet 27G; OF-02-27 (IR 422): Mahd Adh Dhahab Quadrangle, Sheet 23E; OF-02-28 (IR 423): 'Afif Quadrangle, Sheet 23F; OF-02-29 (IR 424): Al Hissu Quadrangle, Sheet 24E; OF-02-31 (IR 426): Baq'A' Quadrangle, Sheet 27F; OF-02-32 (IR 427): Wadi As Sirhan Quadrangle; OF-02-33 (IR 428): Northwestern Hijaz Quadrangle, 104 x 98 cm; OF-02-34 (IR 429): Northeastern Hijaz Quadrangle, 80 x 100cm, OF-02-35 (IR 430): Wadi Ar Rimah Quadrangle, 83 x 100 cm; OF-02-72 (IR 476): Sahl Al Matran Quadrangle, Sheet 26C; OF-02-73 (IR 477): Harrat Ithnayn Quadrangle, Sheet 26D; OF-02-74 (IR 478): Wadi Ash Sha'bah Quadrangle, Sheet 26E; OF-02-75 (IR 479): Al Muwaylih Quadrangle, Sheet 27A; OF-02-76 (IR 480): Shaghab Quadrangle, Sheet 27B; OF-02-79 (IR 483): Ha'il Quadrangle, Sheet 27E. - In excellent condition throughout. G. J. Vranas, List of Interagency Reports submitted by the US Geological Survey Saudi Arabian Mission to the Saudi Arabian Directorate General of Mineral Resources from 1965 to the beginning of 1992 (Open File Report USGS-OF-92-2. Interagency Report 844 (Jiddah: Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Directorate General of Mineral Resources, 1412 AH/1992 AD), pp. 75f., 28-42.
4to (187 x 234 mm). Arabic manuscript on wove paper. 49 ff., 16 lines per extensum within blue and gilt rules. Written in brown maghribi with headings and emphases in gold, blue and red; numerals written in red; one illuminated headpiece in colours and gold. Pretty contemporary brown leather binding with gilt borders and recessed central medallions and corner pieces, stamped in relief and outlined in gold. Green endpapers. Prettily calligraphed and bound manuscript treatise on mathematics and arithemetics, being a compendium of the author’s larger work entitled "Kashf al-jilb?b 'an 'ilm al-hisab", copied in the late 19th century CE in Northern Africa, very likely in Morocco. - The author Abu'l-Hasan ibn Ali al-Qalasadi (1412-86) was a Muslim Arab mathematician from Al-Andalus; Franz Woepcke singled him out as one of the most influential voices in algebraic notation for having taking "the first steps toward the introduction of algebraic symbolism". Al-Qalasadi was born in Baza, an outpost of the Emirate of Granada. He received his education in Granada, but continued to support his family in Baza. He wrote numerous books on arithmetic and algebra, eventually retiring to his native Baza. His algebraic works provided precise mathematical answers to problems of everyday life, such as the composition of medications, how to calculate the inclination of irrigation canals, and the explanation of frauds linked to measuring instruments. Others belonged to the ancient tradition of judicial and cultural mathematics, including a collection of little arithmetical problems presented in the form of verse riddles. - Occasional insignificant foxing and browning; very well preserved. GAL I, 266, 2.
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.
4to. (44), 480 pp. Contemporary limp vellum with ms. spine title. First - and likely only - edition. The first large-scale Syriac grammar, the third ever written (following those of Caninius, 1554, and Widmanstetter, 1555). Composed by the Maronite priest Jiris Ibn Mikha'il ibn 'Amira, it was printed by the Maronite scholar Ya'qub ibn Hilal (Giacomo Luna), who worked at the Medicean Press under Raimondi and was responsible for the Arabic and Syriac publications issued between 1590 and 1594. In 1595 he started printing on his own, and possibly took over some of the types of the Vatican Press. The work is listed as a Propaganda Press imprint ("olim typis nostris impressi") in Amadatius's 1773 "Catalogus", which shows the continuity that was felt to exist between the Medicean Press, the intermediate stage of Luna and Stephanus Paulinus, and the Propaganda Press. In the preface Raimondi is mentioned as the instigator of the work. - The 24 pt Syriac "serto" types were cut in 1590 by Jean Cavaillon for the Medicean Press. In the beginning a Syriac alphabet is presented, in three different scripts: "estrangelo" (this word possibly here used for the first time), "serto", and a Nestorian script possibly in type. This Nestorian script, a cursive form of estrangelo, is introduced here for the first time. In 1633 a slightly different type-face was used for Bellarmino's Catechism. - Some browning and brownstaining throughout, as common; the first few quires loosened. 18th century library stamps to title page; bookplate of Flavio Camillo Borghese, Prince of Sulmona (1902-80), on pastedown. Quite rare; a second edition, supposedly produced in 1645 (cf. Nasrallah, p. 10), is not attested in libraries. Edit 16, CNCE 1541. Adams A 965. BM-STC Italian 356 (s. v. "Jiris"). Brunet I, 231. Zenker, p. 132, no. 1534. Smitskamp, PO 184. Vater/Jülg 388. Nestle 13. Duverdier, Impressions, 198. OCLC 7238840.
