Cáucaso

1936 — Very Good Turkish Paperback. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 17 cm). In Turkish. 4 volumes set: (192p.; 218 p.; 320 p.; [xxii], 210 p.). Eski Türk yazitlari. 4 volumes set. (Kül Tegin - Bilge Han - Tonyukuk - Ongin - Ihe Hüsotü - Iki Uygur yaziti). This work brings together all the Paleo-Turkish inscriptions and all the known writings in so-called 'runiform' (runic) characters, in particular the inscriptions of Mongolia (including those of the Orkhon) and of Siberia (including those of the Yenisey). Illustrated with numerous photographs or lithographs of the texts, provided with numerous annotations, it reproduces, for the essentials, the interpretations and translations of Thomsen, Radloff, Ramstedt, Samoilovitch, Le Coq, and Maloff, while quite often adding hypotheses specific to the editor and which were generally suggested to him by reading Kasgari. The difficult problems concerning the ancient inscriptions are far from being all elucidated: This edition, as useful as it is, cannot therefore be considered as definitive, and it will take a long time before "the eternal stone" has give all his secrets. The fact remains that by publishing reproductions of almost all the texts and by collecting the documentation of the best publications, the editor has done great service to Paleo-Turkish epigraphic studies. Despite its imperfections, the glossary that constitutes fourth volume is very useful. First Edition. Rare.