4 134 résultats
24 vintage photographs (albumen prints) by Ch. Schmid, Reutlingen, mounted on cardboard with printed captions (c. 487 x 320 mm; images c. 270 x 210 mm to 190 x 137 mm). With 4 pp of letterpress text (folio, green papered spine). In custom-made green half morocco solander. Fine set of original photographs showing the Royal Wuerttemberg Stud in Marbach and its famous horses. Owned by Wilhelm, King of Württemberg, Marbach was the first Arabian stud in Europe. From 1852 to 1871 it was directed by Baron Julius von Hügel, who purchased valuable stock from the Egyptian stud of Abbas Pasha, "thus raising it to the highest standard of excellence" (W. R. Brown, The Horse of the Desert, p. 161/166). Hügel was succeeded by Cäsar Paul von Hofacker (1831-96), who issued the present photo series and also composed the accompanying text: the latter discusses the history of the Stud and its horses, including the stallion Sanspareil, son of the Arabian Bajan and bred in 1816; in 1860 another pure-bred Arabian was acquired from the Wuerttemberg Weil Stud. Among the photoportraits are the pure-bred Arabian Zarif, his daughter Zinka, and the stallion Shah. Well-preserved.
4to. 11 volumes. With a folding table in vol. 8. Contemporary vellum, numbered in manuscript on the spine, red sprinkled edges. Complete set of a compilation of all resolutions, ordinances, treaties and other statements and motions by the States General of the Dutch Republic, regarding all maritime matters. The collection starts in 1597 with the establishment of the five admiralties in the Dutch Republic and ends in 1771, although a few resolutions from the period of Habsburg rule (the oldest from 1487) have been included. Most of the resolutions concern trade, including the trade with the Baltic, East and West Indies, North Africa and the Turkish Empire, but also fishery, the equipage of battleships and the administration of the colonies in the West Indies, including slavery. Several tables give interesting information regarding the costs of the building and outfitting of ships and the formation of regiments for the colonies. One very large table presents the tariffs for all sorts of products, including numerous types of wood, glass, porcelain, fish and furs. - A collection of resolutions had been previously published in two volumes in 1689 and 1694. In 1701 an expanded volume 2, present in the current collection, was published, with volume 3 following in 1721. Interestingly, a new and much expanded volume 1 was published in 1730. The present set, published during a course of over 70 years, includes these expanded editions of volumes 1 and 2. All indexes have been bound in the corresponding volume, instead of in a separate index volume. - With the bookplates of the collector Jan Willem Six de Vromade (1874-1936), a descendant of the politically and culturally significant Six family, in the first volume, and of the Dutch politician and historian Leonard de Gou (1916-2000) in all volumes. Bindings slightly smudged. Somewhat browned and stained throughout, most notably volume 8, and with a small tear in the front flyleaf of volume 6. A very good set of an important source for Dutch maritime history. Elliott, Maritime History in the John Carter Brown Library (revised ed.) 1093.
Large 8vo (165 x 240 mm). 40 volumes, prettily gilt to covers and spines. With more than 400 engraved and aquatint plates, maps, charts and portraits (many by Nicholas Pocock). Marbled endpapers. The complete 40-volume run of the "Naval Chronicle", the most influential maritime publication of its time and today a key source for British maritime and military history. Founded by the Royal Navy chaplain James Stanier Clarke and the naval officer James Stanier Clarke, the monthly periodical ran for two full decades from January, 1799 to December, 1818. It contains a wealth of information about the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, including biographies, histories, anecdotes and news, essays on nautical subjects, as well as poems and ballads on a variety of related topics. - Several volumes include material on events in the Arabian Gulf and Sea, often recounting episodes of "piracy" against British vessels, such as the capture of the East India Company's ships "Shannon" and "Trimmer" on 1 Dec. 1804 (an account is found in vol. XV, pp. 24f.) or the Arab raid on the "Minerva" on 29 May 1809, during which the crew were massacred and the vessel converted into the Al-Qasimi flagship (reported in vol. XXIII, p. 281f.; vol. XXIV, p. 30f.). Such events provoked the British "Persian Gulf" campaign of 1809, in which a large British force was deployed to destroy Al-Qasimi bases and ships. The Battle of Ras al-Khaimah, fought on 11-13 Nov. 1809, is reflected in reports printed in vol. XXIV (pp. 73 and 363), and renewed interest in the region and its history, customs and religion prompted a lengthy article on "The Wahebite Arabs" (vol. XXIV, pp. 293ff.; 371ff.), or "the Wahebbi, whose name is much connected with the Iowassimi pirates". A decade later, the British Navy would return in another massive operation against Ras Al Khaimah, which would lead to the signing of the General Maritime Treaty of 1820 between the British and the Sheikhs of the coast which today comprises the United Arab Emirates. - Bindings variously rubbed and bumped, some quite severely with hinges split and extremeties chipped; some spines rebacked, some labels lost. Occasional brownstaining throughout, but largely confined to tissue guards and opposite pages. In all a worn but still appealingly bound set, often encountered in separate volumes only. Sabin 52076. ZDB-ID 1053834-3.
Ca. 620 original photographs (ca. 460 in black-and-white and ca. 160 in colour), 1 portrait reproduced from a painting, and 2 small portrait drawings. Various sizes (ca. 39 x 40 to 202 x 300 mm). Most photographs with handwritten Arabic captions in ballpoint on versos, some of which with official stamps, some with pasted mimeograph typescript captions in English. Stored in 11 display books. A handsome trove of photographs, apparently assembled by a Middle Eastern political scientist or journalist, illustrating the evolving history of various countries of the Arabian Peninsula and their political leaders during the second half of 20th century, with an emphasis on the Sheikhs of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. - Some volumes focus on one or two politicians, with their portrait photographs and their various official appearances while welcoming foreign dignitaries, attending summits, military parades, celebrations, and competitions or award ceremonies. A large section of the archive shows King Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, including a photograph of him with his brother Turki Bin Abdul-Aziz (vol. 1), depicting him in London on the occasion of a lunch given by Margaret Thatcher, at a diplomatic meeting with Ronald Reagan, and at the "10th Arabian summit" in Tunis (vol. 6). Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz is seen meeting political leaders and ministers (among them Yasuhiro Nakasone and François Mitterrand, vol. 3), and the diplomat and Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud meeting Bill Clinton, then Gouverneur of Arkansas, and Vice President George Bush Sr. (Oval Office) for the AWACS plane contract (vol. 10). Another part is dedicated to the OPEC summits under Saudi oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani, meeting Bruno Kreisky in Vienna, as well as at venues in Algiers, Kuwait, Yugoslavia, Caracas, Geneva, Oslo, and other places (vol. 4). King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud is given a splendid state visit in Britain, where he is welcomed by Prince Charles and shares a carriage with Queen Elisabeth (vol. 5). Other photos show Prince Mashour bin Saud bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, King Fahd's nephew, in London after being freed on bail for smuggling cocaine, and King Faisal during a stay in Khartoum (vol. 8). Another part of the collection shows Kuwaiti leader Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah receiving Yemeni representatives, as well as his successor Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah and his predecessor Sabah III Al-Salim Al-Sabah (vols. 2, 5, 8). Furthermore, Bahrain's royal family is shown: Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa is depicted at a young age practising riding and falconry, and Sheikh Hamad Bin Isa Al Khlaifa (vols. 7, 10, 11) meeting Oman's royals, such as Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Saudi minister Ghazi al-Gosaibi, and the Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum is depicted at the opening of "Asry dry dock", pouring holy water (vol. 11). - Two original photographs of well-known views of Mecca's Masjid al-Haram with the Kaaba from ca. 1885 and 1920 are added. The photographs are partly stamped and mostly annotated in Arabic (some in English and French), often with mounted labels on the versos for possible use by the press, some with small labels bearing Arabic captions. One photograph has a portion whited out for reproduction, a few photographs with studio imprint ("Zamani"), others with more detailed information, such as the name of the photographer ("Alain Nogue") or agency ("Sygma") on versos. - A wide-ranging, hitherto untapped archive which allows for various perspectives toward an analysis of international, global political diplomacy by Middle Eastern rulers and members of the Arab League, including numerous candid, personal images of the actors involved.
4to (163 x 220 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper. 56 ff. Script in bold black sini, 5 lines within double red rules, punctuation in red, surah heading in red, opening and closing bifolio with red, blue and black and gold illuminated panels around three lines of text. Early full calf with fore-edge flap, elaborately ruled and stamped in gilt. A finely illuminated Qur'an Juz', written in China in the 16th century by Abd Allah bin Yunus al-Sini, in the city of Xi'an. - Xi'an has a long history of Muslim culture, stretching back to the Tang dynasty. Indeed, 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. Xi'an itself boasts a well-known Muslim quarter; by the time this Juz' was written in the Ming Dynasty, Da Xuexi Street and the Huajue Great Mosque were well-established parts of the thriving Muslim district. Qur'an sections written by Chinese Muslims show the Chinese influence clearly in both the decoration and the script, which is derived from naskh. - This thirtieth and final Juz' is also the most commonly memorized. It begins with surah 78, al-Naba’ (The Tidings), and concludes with the 114th and final surah of the Qu'ran, al-Nas (Mankind). The themes are generally apocalyptic, contrasting the moment of judgment with the beauty of Allah's creation. The Surah al-Nas, a brief six lines, is one of the most famous and best beloved. - Binding professionally rebacked, some subtle paper repairs; altogether a striking manuscript. Provenance: Private UK collection formed in the 1960s and 1970s.
Folio (244 x 345 mm). Arabic manuscript, Bihari script on paper. 287 (instead of 292) ff., foliated 364-655 (lacking 550-551 and 622-624). Surah headings in gilt and colours, verse divisions marked by gold and black ink rosettes, numerous circular and tear-shaped markers in the margins, elaborately ornamented in gold and colours. Bound in modern oriental-style full leather with fore-edge flap and recessed cover decorations. Part four of a pre-Mughal Qur'an commentary, treating the text from Surah XXI, Al-Anbya (The Prophets) to Surah LXXV, Al-Qiyamah (The Resurrection). - Lacks five leaves according to the foliation; some dampstaining; several edge flaws (more severe near the end of the volume), often remargined. Traces of dust in the gutter throughout. In all a fine example of an early Qur'anic manuscript. - Provenance: 1950s private ownership stamp of the "Mohd. Halim Salimi Library", Kandahar, Afghanistan, on fol. 490v. Mohammed Halim Salimi of Kandahar worked in an administrative capacity for the USA's International Cooperation Administration (ICA) Mission to Afghanistan in 1959. In 1960 Salimi applied to the ICA for reimbursement of a lost sum of $123.88; the application was refused on the grounds that Salimi was not in fact an ICA employee but was sub-contracted by the agent Herman Klee (see report B-144148-O.M., 1 Nov 1960). Acquired from Hampel Auctions, Munich. Cf. S. A. Blair, Islamic Calligraphy (Edinburgh 2006), pp. 386-390; Qur‘an, exhibition catalogue (Istanbul 2010), pp. 350f., no. 92.
Oblong folio (310 x 370 mm). 30 engraved sheets, with 30 (of 34) portraits of thoroughbred race-horses (lacking nos. 10, 15, 31 and 34). Old half calf with marbled covers. A spectacular, exceedingly rare album illustrating the starting point of horse racing in England, when native mares were crossbred with imported oriental stallions. W. S. Sparrow notes, in 1922, "rare, no doubt, because so many copies have been broken up in order that the prints might be sold one by one". The integral engraved text surrounding the image of horse and jockey provides the history and breeding of the subjects of the portraits. The first three horses depicted in this charming album are direct descendants of the three foundation stallions of the modern Thoroughbred breed, namely the Godolphin Arabian (Bajazet, plate 2), the Darley Arabian (Childers, plate 3), and the Byerly Turk (Old Partner, plate 1). All of the other 23 race horses described here trace back to these three stallions just imported into England from the Middle East, as well. According to Pickerell, "all 500,000 of the world's thoroughbred racehorses are descended from 28 ancestors, born in the 18th century", of which, according to Peter Willett, about 50% have Arabian bloodlines, with the remainder evenly divided between Turkoman and Barb breeding. - James Seymour is recognized as one of the earliest English sporting artists. He was the son of a wealthy goldsmith and diamond merchant who supplied the plate for racing trophies. Seymour was passionate about racing and, in addition to drawing and painting them, he is believed to have owned racehorses himself; he was considered one of the most eminent horse painters of his age, and this important and rare album of charming engravings offers a true sampling of his work. - With armorial bookplate with cipher of George Simon Harcourt, Earl Harcourt (1736-1809) on front pastedown. Some early ms. annotations at beginning, some tears and repairs extending into text, first plate laid down. Sparrow, p. 77. Cf. Lane British Racing Prints Seymour 2, nos. 1-7, 11-18, 20-24, 26, 28-33. Mellon Sporting and Animal Prints Seymour 13, nos. 1-7, 11-18, 20-24, 26, 28-33. Cf. Siltzer British Sporting Prints, 389.
A total of 86 topographic maps, colour-printed, ca. 58 x 45 cm. Constant ratio linear horizontal scale. In Russian (Cyrillic). Nearly all of the Soviet Union's 1:200,000 General Staff map quadrangles showing the Red Sea coast of the Arabian Peninsula: from the Russian series of maps produced during the Cold War, based on high-quality satellite imagery, but usually also ground reconnaissance. While there are a few lacunae in Yemen near the south-western tip of the Peninsula, most of the area is well-covered. Assembled continuously, the quadrangles would form an enormous map spanning ca. 8 x 4 metres. - Products of a massive, clandestine cartographic project begun under Stalin and ultimately encompassing the entire globe, the Soviet General Staff maps are today noted for their extreme precision. Indeed, even in post-Soviet times they provide the most reliable mapping for many remoter parts of the world: "Soviet-era military maps were so good that when the United States first invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, American pilots relied on old Russian maps of Afghanistan. For almost a month after the United States began a bombing campaign to help oust the Taliban government, American pilots were guided by Russian maps dating back to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s" (Davies/Kent, p. xi). - Although the details of the cartographic programme evolved over the decades, its overall system and plan remained remarkably constant. "The basic quadrangle is the 1:1,000,000 sheet spanning 4° latitude by 6° longitude [...] Each 1:1,000,000 sheet is [...] subdivided into 36 1:200,000 sheets in a six-by-six grid [... They] normally contain on the reverse side a detailed written description of the districts (towns, communications, topography, geology, hydrology, vegetation, and climate) together with a geological sketch map" (ibid., p. 19-21). "Printing such large-format plans in so many colors with near-perfect print registration itself testifies to the skill of the printers in the military map printing factories across the former Soviet Union. The quality of printing reflects the level of training and the reliability of humidity-control equipment and the electricity supply at the time" (ibid., p. 6f.). - The 1:200,000-scale maps are specifically labelled "For Offical Use". Indeed, all General Staff maps de facto constituted closely guarded military material, none of which became available in the West before the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. - Light traces of folds, occasional wrinkles and a few odd edge flaws, but altogether in excellent condition. Cf. J. Davies / A. J. Kent, The Red Atlas (Chicago/London, 2017).
An enormous panoramic view drawn in coloured gouaches on a single, continuous roll of unwatermarked wove paper (70 x 583 cm), the drawing running to the edges of the paper. Rolled and stored in a cardboard tube. A panoramic view of what appears to be a fantasy Middle Eastern landscape, with spectacular mountains in the background, a body of water near each end, and a wide variety of buildings and ruins, some clearly classical Roman and others Middle Eastern. The combination of classical Roman architecture with dromedaries and other Middle Eastern features places it very likely in Palestine, but we have not been able to identify specific buildings. The most distinctive ruin, a round Roman temple with five columns on the viewer's side (perhaps a third of the circle), an entablature above them and a vertical base below them, looks more like the Temple of the Vesta at Tivoli than like any known temple in the Middle East (the columns are not rendered in sufficient detail to determine their order, but they are almost certainly not Ionic and are probably Corinthian). There are also classical Roman aqueducts. The six shepherds with their flocks all wear broad-brimmed hats and have staffs, and two are blowing long, slightly curved horns. Several additional figures with broad-brimmed hats and staffs might be pilgrims, one together with what is presumably his wife. - With a 33 cm tear into the left edge, slightly affecting a mountain and the top of a tree, a few insignificant and much smaller tears and with pin holes about 1 cm from the edges from mounting on a wall, but otherwise in very good condition and with the colours fresh and bright. A spectacular panoramic view of the Middle East, including many classical Roman ruins.
Large 4to (187 x 274 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper. (18) pp., 31 lines per extensum. Written in clear, neat black naskh, emphases picked out or underlined in red; catchwords. Modern brown leather binding with blind rules and stamped central medallions to both covers. A late 14th or early 15th century mathematical manuscript, probably written in Iran or possibly the Eastern Mediterranean. The Persian scholar Nasir al-Din Muhamad ibn Muhamad ibn al-Hasan at-Tusi (1201-74) was known for his extensive work on science, physics, mathematics and theology. He is often credited with the invention and identification of trigonometry as an independent division of mathematics (cf. GAL I, 509), and the lunar crater "Nasireddin" is named after him. As well as compiling many important works in these fields, he is also known for translating the definitive Arabic editions of Euclid, Ptolemy and Archimedes' works, among others. The only other copy of his present work, treating multiplication and division in algebra and arithmetic, survives in the Topkapi Seray in Istanbul (MS 3327: a more extensive version in 3 books and 11 sections, 51 ff.). - Light dampstaining throughout, mostly confined to lower borders; edges frayed. GAL S I, p. 930, no. 36a. B. A. Rosenfeld & E. Thsanoglu, Mathematicians, Astronomers and other Scholars of Islamic Civilisation and their Works (Istanbul 2003), pp. 211-219, M18. Krause, Stambuler Handschriften Islamischer Mathematiker, p. 497, no. 12.
Small folio (222 x 296 mm). (12), 407 (but: 411; 316-319 numbered twice), (1) pp. Engraved figurative title (lower border cropped with loss of imprint, as common). 18th century red gilt morocco, boards with richly gilt floral décor, gilt edges of covers, richly gilt spine in seven compartments with raised bands, black title label, speckled edges. Marbled endpapers. In modern custom-made chemise of auburn cloth and a cloth case with spine in red morocco and five raised bands, title in gold. First edition of the author's principal work, very rare, especially with the engraved title. The book mostly discusses the Philippines and the Moluccas, but also deals with China, Java, Sumatra, and Ceylon, with references to "los estrechos Persico y Arabico" (p. 12). The Portuguese naval commander Afonso de Albuquerque had conquered Malacca in the early 16th century, several decades after Arab merchants had introduced Islam to the islands. - "Few narratives are written with so much judgment and elegance [...] One of the most important works for the history of the Philippine islands [...] The book also contains matter relating to Sir Francis Drake and American voyages, and to the history of Spanish and Portuguese exploration in the Indies" (Cox). "Very lucidly and elegantly written" (cf. Ebert). "Copies with the engraved title are rare, and still more difficult to find are copies in which the printer's name and date of printing are preserved at its bottom" (cf. Salvá). "For the compilation of this work, the author had the command of all authentic manuscript relations, which were either in official custody, or in private hands, besides the testimony of such persons then living as had been eyewitnesses to any part of what he delivers" (Griffin). - Boards somewhat worn and rubbed, a few spots, some small cracks in the joints, slight defects at head and foot of spine, but altogether a beautifully preserved copy. Final leaf laid down, some small, inconspicuously repaired wormholes near headlines. Some occasional foxing and browning; pages 65-68 with a remargined flaw at the edge (no loss to text). Provenance: Engraved bookplate of Jeremiah Hill (early 18th century). Later in the famous library of Sir Thomas Phillips (1792-1872, with shelfmark and inscription "MHC" in pencil). Sold at Sotheby's June 23, 1988 for £3,800 (lot 110); latterly in the private collection of the Swedish antiquarian bookdealer Björn Löwendahl (1941-2013). Palau 16089. Cat. Nederl. Scheepv. Mus. 494. Cox I, 284. Brunet I, 419. Ebert 994. Graesse I, 193. Griffin/Ph. 23. Penney 304. Maggs (Spanish Books) 54a. Pardo de Tavera 121. Reiss & Auvermann 40 (Travel & Exploration) 408. Sabin 1946. Salvá 3349.
Folio (548 x 400 mm). Vol. I (all published). Lithographic calligraphic title, portrait of Arif Pasha, drawn on stone by M. Julien, 16 tinted lithographic plates after Arif, coloured and finished by hand. Modern cloth. First edition of this valuable and beautifully illustrated survey of the costumes worn at the court of the Ottoman Empire, published with the text in both French and Turkish. Ministers, state officials and military officers (including intelligence service) are shown in full costume with their functions captioned in Arabic and French below. Although the lithographic title states 'Tome 1er', no further volume was published in either language. - Arif Pasha fought against the Greeks at Athens and at Euboea (1826-28), and in Syria against Mehmet Ali. His career included a number of missions for the Sultan and his appointment, in 1861, as governor of the province of Silistria. - A little marginal soiling, a few closed tears, portrait lacking tip of lower corner, but overall a good, complete copy of the rare coloured issue. Atabey 30. Blackmer 43. Lipperheide 1440m. Colas I, 148.
Large 12mo. 24 vols. With engraved portraits of Barros, Couto, Henry the Navigator, and Afonso de Albuquerque and 5 folding maps. Uniformly bound in contemporary full calf, spines with titles and number of volume on giltstamped red labels. Edges lightly sprinkled red. A fundamental travel work: the best and most complete edition of what is considered the most comprehensive publication on Portuguese exploration and colonial history by João de Barros (decades I-IV) and Diego de Couto; the first edition to include decades X and XI. Books 2 and 3 of the "Decada Segunda" offer a detailed narrative of Afonso de Albuquerque's expedition to the Arabian Gulf and his conquest of Ormuz in 1507; the island remained under Portuguese occupation from 1515 to 1622. As vassals of the Portuguese state, the Kingdom of Ormuz jointly participated in the 1521 invasion of Bahrain that ended Jabrid rule of the Arabian archipelago. - This is "the best edition of this famous work on Portuguese colonial history. The first edition appeared at Lisbon, Madrid and Paris from 1552 to 1645. It consists of 12 "Decadas" (decades), comprising the history of the years 1420-1600. Only Decadas I, II, III and a part of IV are by J. de Barros, the rest is by D. de Couto, who begins his part also with Decada IV, so that there are two Decadas IV" (Laures). De Barros (1496-1570), head agent for the Portuguese overseas trade authority "Casa da Índia", managed to persuade King João III to commission from him a history of the Portuguese in India (including Asia and southeast Africa). The result earned him renown as one of the first great Portuguese historians, and the the title of a "Portuguese Livy". The 'Decades' contain "the early history of the Portuguese in India and Asia and reveal careful study of Eastern historians and geographers, as well as of the records of his own country. They are distinguished by clearness of exposition and orderly arrangement. They are also lively accounts" (Enc. Britannica). - A crisp, uniform set with a contemporary ink note by L. Quesnel on the front pastedown of the index volumes and 19th century collector's blue monogram labels (JCQ?) to flyleaves. Cordier, BJ, 34 and BS, 2309. Innocencio III, 322. Laures 642. Streit IV, 667 (with extensive list of contents) & VI, 630. This edition not in Borba de Moraes. For the maps cf. Gole, India, 8.
Folio (245 x 362 mm). 6 vols. (12), LXXII, (4), 668, (1) pp. (4), 743, (1) pp. 793, (1) pp. (2), IV, 5-780 pp. (4), 708 pp. 824, (104) pp. Title printed in red and black. With 187 engraved plates (many folding) and 9 engravings in the text (showing maps, plans, views, costumes, flora, fauna, scenes, portraits etc., including 2 bound as frontispieces), as well as numerous woodcuts in the text (showing arms, seals, devices, coastal views, details, machinery etc.). Uniform full calf with red labels to spine (gilding oxydized). Third and best edition of this important and profusely illustrated collection of travel reports, compiled by the brothers Awnsham and John Churchill, based on Hakluyt and Purchas. It includes the accounts of Martin Baumgarten (Egypt, Arabia, Palestine, Syria), Thomas Roe, Philipp Balde and Johan Nieuhoff (East Indies, including a detailed account of the north-eastern coast of Arabia, with a description of pearl fishing in Bahrain and mentioning Julfar, Qatar, Sir Bani Yas, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah, Amalgavine, and other places of interest along the coastline), J. Gemelli Careri (Turkey, Persia, India), Nicholas Rolamb (Constantinople), John Barbot (West Africa, with a chapter on "Mahomet and his Alcoran"), as well as of Yemen and various journeys to China, Korea, Greenland, Iceland, Africa, North and South America (including Columbus). - "This is a very valuable collection, both for its range of coverage and for the fact that it gives the original accounts [...] The third edition is considered to be best because of its greater inclusiveness and its copious index" (Hill). Two further volumes were issued separately in 1745, republished in 1752. - The count of the illustrations is notoriously complicated: the "List of the Copper Plates" counts 305 illustrations and maps, of which as many as four are placed on a single plate, and some are placed within the text. Compared to this list, the present set lacks 52 illustrations, or ca. 20 plates, whereas the first volume contains 5 additional plates not called for in the List. Three of the maps (Africa, Asia, America) which the List announces for the first volume are in fact bound in volumes IV-VI. The introduction, a "History of Navigation from its Original to this time", is likely one of the final works of the philosopher John Locke, whose publisher and financial manager Awnsham Churchill had been (while the attribution has been called into question, the text was included in Locke's Complete Works). - Provenance: Byrdie McNeill, Mt. Edgecumbe, Alaska (her stamps). Bindings professionally repaired. Some browning; some edge defects, tears and paper flaws, but generally well-preserved. Cox, I, 10. Hill 295. Sabin 13017. Shirley G.CHUR-1d. Alden/L. 744/62. Borba de Moraes I, 158. Landwehr, VOC 260 (note). Cf. National Maritime Museum Cat. I, 33.
Large 4to (260 x 328 mm). 26 bi-chrome lithographed double-page maps (each 485 x 315 mm), with 48 sheets of interleaved text, all contents unnumbered and entirely in Ottoman Turkish. Original half black cloth over red boards with cover bearing the title and the Tughra of Sultan Mehmed V Reshad in gilt. This is one of the rarest and most extraordinary works of late Ottoman cartography, produced by the Interior Ministry at the behest of the "Young Turks" regime on the eve of World War I. Published with text entirely in Ottoman Turkish, the atlas consists of 26 double-page maps, all of an extraordinary proto-modernist design, accompanied by detailed text explaining all of the road itineraries depicted. All of the maps are original productions, predicated upon the latest official sources supplied by both state engineers and private contractors. Of the maps, eight focus exclusively upon subjects from the Arab world, including a dedicated map of the Hejaz (with the Hejaz Railway and pilgrimage routes), as well as a map focussing upon Mecca and Jeddah. The atlas provides by far and away the most comprehensive and accurate record of the road system throughout the Ottoman Empire, taken in the wake of an unprecedented wave of infrastructure development. Additionally, while not part of the technical remit of the work, the maps also provide a stellar overview of the Ottoman railway system, including the Hejaz Railway and the in-progress Anatolian-Baghdad Railway. The atlas therefore gives the most authoritative historical accounts of the technical nature of the empire’s key corridors of military and commercial movement, as well as the most important routes of the Hajj Pilgrimage, during a critical historical juncture. - Internally remarkably clean and crisp, just some light natural oxidization of the original glue along the gutters of some leaves and light even toning to text pages, plus a few negligible stains, but overall in a very good condition. Özege 22737. Türkiye Diyanet Vakfý - Ýslâm Araþtýrmalarý Merkezi (ÝSAM) [Turkey Diyanet Foundation - Centre for Islamic Studies, Istanbul] 912.95607 VÝL.Y. Dâhiliye Nezareti Umur-i Mahalliye ve Vilayat Müdürlügü Evraki [Archives of the Turkish Interior Ministry, Ankara] DH UMVM 74/31. Istanbul Büyüksehir Belediyesi Atatürk Kitapligi [Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Atatürk Library] 23589. OCLC 51297423 (listing the work, but not citing the locations of any examples). - Citations in recent academic publications: E. Erol, The Ottoman Crisis in Western Anatolia: Turkey’s Belle Epoque and the and the Transition to a Modern Nation State (London, 2016), pp. 73 & 301. A. Kisa, "II. Mesrutiyet Dönemi’nde Bitlis Vilayeti’nde Karayollari" [Highways in Bitlis Province During the Second Constitutional Era], Tarih ve Gelecek Dergisi, Aralik 2019, Cilt 5, Sayi 3 [Journal of History and the Future, December 2019, Vol. 5, Issue 3], pp. 702-711, esp. pp. 707-708.
Small 4to (190 x 140 mm). (36) ff. With the first four lines printed in red and 9 white on black decorated woodcut initials (1 series), plus 1 repeat. Set in roman type, 26 lines to a page, with two words in Greek. Modern blind-tooled calf. A famous description of the antique world, originally written in Greek verse around the beginning of the second century AD by Dionysios Periegetes, also known as Dionysius of Alexandria, including early mentions of China and Arabia. The poem exerted a great influence during the Middle ages and remained popular well into the Renaissance. One of its main appeals are the literary descriptions of faraway countries, which leave more space for imagination than the more scientific geographical descriptions like those of Mela and Solinus. - It was translated into Latin prose by the Veronese humanist Antonio da Beccaria and first published a year earlier by Erhard Ratdolt, the former partner of Franz Renner, two German printers active in Venice. The poem had first appeared in print in a free verse translation in Priscian's Opera in 1470. - "Until the thirteenth century, Asia beyond India was practically unknown in Europe; only vague references to the Serica or Sinica of the Graeco-Romans helped keep alive a sketchy knowledge of China's existence". Mentions here in Dionysius's text referring to "Thina" hark back to the mentions in the Periplus of the 1st century AD, which were the earliest surviving accounts in European literature (Löwendahl). - Dionysius lived in Pharos, an Alexandrian neighbourhood, at the time of Hadrian (117-138). Further information in the poem suggests a date of composition before 130. At that period, geography was not deemed an important component of the school curriculum but rather an ancillary subject to rhetoric. Dionysius composed his poem with these didactic ramifications in mind. In addition to imparting geographical knowledge, he wanted to acquaint the students with the great classical authors, notably Homer. He therefore composed his poem in hexameters, after Homer, and included many mythological place names, for instance from the journey of the Argonauts, but also the borders of the historical empire of the Seleucids. In this manner, the "Description of the inhabited world" became a guided tour through the world of antique geography. - Some minor waterstains in the margins of the second half of the volume, the first and last leaves reattached and some occasional foxing, otherwise in very good condition, washed. Goff D-254. IDL 1556. ISTC id00254000. Proctor 4173. Cf. Löwendahl 1 (1477 ed.). Sarton, Introduction I, p. 258. Tozer, A history of ancient geography (1897), pp. 281-287.
Royal folio (540 x 410 mm). 5 volumes in 1. With engraved title-page, engr. dedication, 5 engr. half-titles and 86 engr. plates (3 folded, 1 map). Contemporary full calf with giltstamped red morocco label to richly gilt spine. All edges red. First edition of this splendid work, which was reprinted five times until 1742 (including an English edition). The first three volumes deal with historical and legendary monuments (among them the seven wonders of the ancient world as well as monuments of the "Arabs and the Turks"). The fourth volume is dedicated to buildings of Fischer von Erlach himself; the fifth volume shows vases and sarcophagi. - Binding slightly rubbed, some dampstaining near end, otherwise a fine, wide-margined and complete copy. Nebehay/Wagner 176. Ornamentstichslg. Berlin 2105. Fowler 121. Schlosser 438. Thieme/B. XII, 48. Millard III, 31. Kruft 205/687. Museum of Islamic Art, Hajj - The journey through art, p. 48f. (illustration).
Text vol. in 8vo and atlas in folio (670 x 503 mm). (4), 460 pp. (4), 65 pp. Half-titles in both vols.; 80 lithographed, sepia aquatint or engraved plates and plans, the 8 fine aquatints by Debucourt after Forbin, the lithographed subjects for G. Engelmann after Lecomte, Deseynes, Castellan, Carle, and Horace Vernet, Fragonard, Thiénon, Legros, Isabey and others, large folding engraved plan at the end of text vol. 19th century marbled half calf with giltstamped title to gilt spine. First edition. Only 325 copies of this work were produced. "Forbin's was one of the first important French books to use lithography on a grand scale, and the standard of production is equal to that of Napoléon's 'Description de l'Egypte' or Denon's 'Voyage'" (Navari, Blackmer). Forbin succeeded Denon as director of museums in 1816 and was authorised to purchase antiquities for the Louvre (his son-in-law, Marcellus, expedited the acquisition of the recently discovered Venus de Milo). In August 1817 he began a year-long journey to the Levant accompanied by the artist Pierre Prévost and the engineer de Bellefonds. His journey took him to Melos, Athens, Constantinople, Smyrna, Ephesus, Acre, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Cairo, Luxor, and Thebes. - This set includes the frequently lacking 8vo text volume: this has the plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre bound at the end with a list of plates which were sold separately. The atlas volume repeats the text (entirely reset in-folio, sometimes found in a separate folio volume) and includes the magnificent, highly desirable plates (after Carle Vernet, Fragonard, Isabey, and Forbin himself, as well as Prevost), which show fine views of Greece, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem, Ramla, Gaza, and Egypt. - Occasional slight foxing, still a splendid copy from the library of the ducs de Luynes at the Château de Dampierre: their bookplate reproducing the arms of Charles Marie d'Albert de Luynes (1783-1839), 7th Duc de Luynes, on pastedown. The Aboussouan copy (comprising both the folio and the octavo volume) commanded £20,000 at Sotheby's in 1993, while in 2002 the Atabey copy of the folio volume alone fetched £22,000. Atabey 447f. Blackmer 614. Aboussouan 338. Weber I, 68-70. Röhricht 1660. Tobler 144f. Colas 1089. Hiler 321. Ibrahim-Hilmy I, 163. Brunet II, 1337. Graesse II, 614. Cf. Lipperheide Ma 16 (2nd ed.).
4to (160 x 202 mm). Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 27 pp. plus 57 pp. of tables, 22 lines per extensum, written in black Maghribi script, emphases and section titles in red; extensive tables at the end. - (Bound with) II: Nour al-Din 'Ali bin Abd al-Qadir al-Fardi al-Hasani. Kitab al-Fawa'id al-jalilah fi fi hall majhulat al-wasila. Near East, 18th century CE. Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 98 pp., 19 lines per extensum, black naskh with emphases in red. - (Bound with) III: Brain manuscript. Near East, 18th century CE. Arabic manuscript on watermarked paper, 25 pp., 19 lines per extensum, written in black naskh with emphases in red. - All bound together in oriental brown leather with fore-edge flap, a central oval medallion and stamped borders. A collection of three different Arabic treatises bound in one volume, dealing with astronomy, keeping time and mathematics, as well as psychology, written in Northern Africa and Near East. - Bound first is the "Kitab Minhaj al-talib li-ta'dil al-kawakib" by the Marrakesh-born mathematician, astronomer, and Sufi scholar Ibn al-Banna' (also known as Abu'l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Azdi, 1251-1321). A long treatise about astronomy, the movements of the planets, and calculating the times of prayer according to location, it was published by Juan Vernet Ginés in 1952. - The "Kitab al-Fawa'id" by the mathematician Nouraddin ‘Ali al-Faradi (d. 870 H / 1465/66 CE) is a commentary on the "Kitab al-wasila fi 'ilm al-hisab" by the Egyptian mathematician Ibn al-Ha'im al-Misri (d. 1412). A copy is stored in the Al-Azhar Library, Cairo (shelfmark 4374). - At the end is a shorter text containing two sections (fasl 4 and fasl 5) excerpted from a treatise on the power of the human brain and how to exercise it. - The treatise of Ibn al-Banna' shows some edge damage from worming and old repairs, otherwise internally quite sound. Binding professionally restored; modern spine and flap hinge. Provenance: from the private collection of the English art dealer Oliver Hoare (1945-2018), who launched the Islamic Art Department at Christie's. I: GAL II, 331, 5. - II: Cf. GAL S II, 1024, 77.
4to. 48 ff., printed in red and black throughout. Contemporary yellow boards with restored calf spine. First edition. "Editio princeps of this popular short syntax of the Arabic language, written in the 13th century. Two centuries later an Oriental printed edition was published in Istanbul (1786), but in the meantime this edition, printed in Arabic (30 point) throughout, could well have passed for a manuscript [...] To some copies a Latin title page was added bearing the legend: 'Grammatica Arabica dicta Caphia auctore filio Alhagiabi'" (Smitskamp). - Composed by the Arabian grammarian Uthman Ibn Umar, known as Ibn al-Hajib (1175-1249), and printed at the Medicean Press, founded in 1584 by Cardinal Ferdinando I de’ Medici and directed by Giambattista Raimondi (1536-1614), an able scholar of Arabic. - Some edge faults (professionally repaired), old repairs to title page, with slight loss to letterpress. A wide-margined copy, generously printed in 13 lines per page. An exceptionally appealing typographical achievement. Edit 16, CNCE 44392. Adams U 102 (both s. v. Uthman). BM-STC Italian 706. GAL I, p. 303. Smitskamp 30. Schnurrer 42.
8vo (127 x 214 mm). Arabic manuscript on polished paper. 80 ff. Part 2 (of 2). Black and occasional red ink, with catchwords and a few marginal notes in a contemporary hand. 19th century limp red morocco. Rare and important 17th century manuscript of the most famous work of Ibn al-Nafis (1210-88), written at only twenty-nine years of age. Unlike the author's two other commentaries on Ibn Sina's Canon of Medicine, the "Sharh Qurashi" is extremely uncommon. The present part includes his most important contributions to medicine and anatomy: in describing the pulmonary blood circulation, he anticipated by many centuries the works of the 17th century scientists Marcello Malpighi and William Harvey. - Ibn al-Nafis "was the first person to challenge the long-held contention of the Galen School that blood could pass through the cardiac interventricular septum, and in keeping with this he believed that all the blood that reached the left ventricle passed through the lung. He also stated that there must be small communications or pores ('manafidh' in Arabic) between the pulmonary artery and vein" (West, 1877). In his commentary, "pulmonary circulation was described, for the first time, in much detail [...] this circulation was not described by Galen, and only Al-Akhawayni had provided some accurate details about it. He contradicted Galen's reports on the presence of a pathway of 'invisible pores' or a visible hole between the right and left cavities, and stated that blood moves to the lung through vena arteriosa (pulmonary arteries). There, it mixes with air and is filtered, then it moves back to the left cavity via the arteria venosa (pulmonary vein)" (Alghamdi, 1001). Many of al-Nafis's statements remain accurate to medical science today, making this work one of the most groundbreaking of its era. - Morocco binding somewhat rubbed and lightly soiled, with a few small closed tears to extremities. A tiny paper flaw in margin of f. 19 and old paper repair to edge of f. 53. Exterior leaves slightly browned and brittle, with some wear and soiling to edges. A well-preserved and highly unusual survival of a major text in the history of medicine during the Islamic Golden Age. GAL I 493, 37, 7. M. Alghamdi et al., "An Untold Story: The Important Contributions of Muslim Scholars for the Understanding of Human Anatomy", The Anatomical Record 300 (2017), pp. 986-1008. J. B. West, "Ibn al-Nafis, the Pulmonary Circulation, and the Islamic Golden Age", in: Journal of Applied Physiology 105 (2008), pp. 1877-1880.
Folio (209 x 318 mm). 459, (2), 14 (but: 13) ff. of index, numerous errors in Arabic pagination, but complete according to catchwords, numbered throughout by a later owner in pencil from left to right, 1-474 ff. Ottoman Turkish manuscript on thin, polished, cream-coloured laid paper. Text is in fine naskh script with black and red ink within a red double-lined border, 31 lines of text within a written area of 232 x 112 mm. Occasional red underlining, sections usually demarcated by a single word of red text on a line with a red border on either side. With 11 full-page colour illustrations of scientific diagrams, 2 full-page coloured world maps, 8 full-page coloured tables, 2 full-page illustrations of Mekka and Jerusalem, 4 coloured half-page diagrams and 1 coloured half-page table, as well as a round, black and red ink diagram on leaf 448v. Contemporary full calf, expertly rebacked with six compartments of raised bands and gilt motifs, gilt red title label, all edges speckled red. A fine 18th century manuscript copy of the famous scholarly encyclopedia, not printed until 1835 (in Bulaq). The "Marifetname", or "Book of Gnosis" is a compilation of astronomical, astrological, mathematical, anatomical, psychological, philosophical as well as mystical religious texts. It is famous for containing the first treatment of post-Copernican astronomy by a Muslim scholar. - Ibrahim Haqqi Erzurumi (1703-80) is considered an outstanding figure of 18th century Ottoman Turkey. Based on an immense knowledge of the Sufi branch of Islam as well as his studies in Western science, he devoted himself to the domains of both religion and science, considering both a means of approaching God. - Occasional smudging of ink; minor offsetting on pages facing illustrations, leaves 7-11 with minor waterstains in the upper corner margins, leaves 12-18 expertly reinforced in the upper margin, with rather severe loss to text in upper half of leaves 14v and 15. Text appears to be lost on 378r (faint traces of text still remain). Leaves 343v-350v have dark pink stain in centre of text toward gutter (no loss), likewise on 443v-463v. Leaves 448-454 have had their margins reinforced. Leaves numbered 449 and 450 must be switched, as well as 453 and 454. Altogether a very appealing copy with the numerous illustrations showing fine detail. Cf. Zenker I, 1709. F. Gülen, "Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism," p. 106, n. 69. Z. Virk, "Science and Technology in Ottoman Sultanate".
8vo (124 x 192 mm). Arabic manuscript on paper in black (and occasional red) Naskh script. 322 pp., frequently interleaved with extensive comments on later paper, prefixed with 6 ff. (some blank). 13 lines, text enclosed within black and gilt rules, gilt headpiece to first page. Numerous coloured diagrams throughout. Contemporary black calf with fore-edge flap, gilt cover borders and central stamped ornaments. Marbled pastedowns. Illustrated commentary by Qadizade al-Rumi on Al-Jaghmini's famous astronomical treatise "Mulakhas" ("Summary on the Science of the Authority"), completed in 808 AH. Al-Rumi (1364-1436), known under the name of Salah al-Din Musa Pasha, was one of the principal astronomers at the famous Samarkand observatory. - Binding rubbed and chipped along extremeties. A paper flaw to the colophon, repaired with some loss. Some leaves loosed, a few edge defects (more prominent to first leaf) and occasional duststains and fingerstains, but on the whole very well preserved. A valuable copy owned and annotated by Mustafa bin Khalil. Cf. GAL I, 473.
Folio (235 x 335 mm). Engraved title, 3 pp. of dedication, 1 leaf (Privilege du Roy), 12 leaves of text interleaved with 12 engraved plates, woodcut headpieces and initials. The plates, probably by Noel (not Nicolas) Cochin after La Chapelle, show costumes against a scenic background. Contemporary full vellum. First edition, very rare. Georges de la Chappelle, a native of Caen, accompanied the French envoy Le Haye to the Porte and spent several years in the Levant. His work is known to us almost exclusively through these engravings, showing what Thieme/Becker described as "the prettiest ladies in the Imperial Seraglio". In the introductory text included in this first edition, La Chappelle explains that the series was occasioned by a recent French edition of Chalcocondyles, in which (as he complains) the women's costumes were very poorly drawn. La Chappelle clearly had a special interest in female costume: "his own representations are highly detailed, with special attention paid to the fabulous jewels and fine needlework that adorn the garments of Levantine costume. (According to the preface, the accuracy of his drawings could be attested by Le Haye [...], in whose presence the drawings were executed.) To add verisimilitude to the plates, examples of Turkish, Persian, Tartar, Armenian and Greek costume are depicted against topographical backgrounds showing the areas in and around Constantinople in which the models were most likely to reside" (Atabey). Curiously, several of these backgrounds, when placed side by side, form a near-consecutive panorama of Constantinople and its environs. - Occasional light brownstains; wants front flyleaf. Vellum slightly stained and wrinkled; lower cover shows traces of old calculations. An attractive copy in a strictly contemporary binding. Atabey 648. Colas 1697. Thieme/Becker VI, 378f. Cf. Blackmer 935 (2nd edition). Not in Lipperheide or Cohen/de Ricci.
Folio (30 cm). Double-page ink wash drawing of the idealized (Arabian-bred) Spanish horse, [8], 198, [4 blank], [2], 25 pp; with separate 13 pp. of addenda. Bound in contemporary half black calf over marbled boards, gilt titles and ornaments on spine. Binding a little rubbed, contents very good. Manuscript on Spanish watermarked paper "Manuel Serra 1829", written in neat cursive throughout with occasional flourishes. Signed twice by the author, "Francisco De Laiglesia Y Darrac", dated "Madrid 24 Mayo de 1830". Bookplate on pastedown of the noted Spanish collector José Gallart Folch. Highly important manuscript, being the author's autograph copy - possibly for presentation to the dedicatee (the King of Spain). Darrac's groundbreaking treatise on the admixture of Arabian bloodlines to the Spanish horse was subsequently accepted by the King and printed 'by Royal decree' in the following year, 1831. "To assure that Spain would have ready supply of quality horses and mules, the recommendations first purposed by Francisco Laiglesia Y Darrac in his brilliant 1831 book Memoria sobre la cria caballar en Espana - causas del aniquilamiento de nuestros caballos (Thesis on Horse Breading in Spain- Causes of the Annihilation of Our Horses) were finally adopted. Laiglesia might well be called the father of the Arabian horse of Spain, because he was the first to advocate the importation of a large group of desert-bred stallions and mares as the only means of recuperating the lost qualities in Spain's horses. In the same work he also articulated the first detailed plan for the creation of the Cria Caballar, the Stud Book Español, the National Stud" (Steen). - A horse expert with the Royal Army, Laiglesia's treatise is wonderfully detailed and shows a thorough knowledge of Arabians and their bloodlines. His main thesis argues that with the introduction of as few as 20 of the best pure-bred Arabians, the entire country's stock of horses can be 'regenerated' in a few generations. To this end he launches into an in-depth discussion of the logistics of this plan, ranging from discussions of the desert Bedouin origin of the purest Arabians, from the regions surrounding Sanaa and Nedjed-el-Areb in the Arabian Gulf (Section 65) to an intimate familiarity with the different classes of Arabians from these bloodlines (Hatiks or Kadischi & Kochlani). Laiglesia notes with admiration that the practice of recording the bloodlines of these Arabians is extremely meticulous at the court of the Emir. - Laiglesia also addresses the problems of how to select the best pure-bred Arabians based on proportion, etc., as well as the difficulties in procuring them. He insists that they must be purchased 'on-site' in Arabia Felix and then brought to a station in Aleppo for inspection, en route to Spain. Laiglesia even suggests the most comfortable means of transporting the precious horses (by warship, rather than a smaller merchant vessel which doesn't have enough space). Interestingly, one measure for Laiglesia of the superiority of Arabians is their excellence in horse-races: he points out that all the greatest English champions (Flying Childers, High Flyer, Eclipse, etc.) have all been bred from Arabian stock. - The present author's manuscript and its illustration in fact show significant differences compared to the printed book, which is itself extremely rare (just 3 copies worldwide, according to OCLC). For the printed book, cf OCLC 63603570 (U Barcelona, British Library, U Penn); Palau 130186; Fairman Rogers Collection on the Horse, 453. Cf also Andrew K. Steen, El Caballo Arabe en España, 1831 a 1934 (2007).
