Imprimerie

[THE 19TH ISLAMIC INCUNABULA] Târîh-i Sami ve Sakir ve Subhi. [i.e. The chronicle of Sami, Sakir and Subhi].

Very Good Turkish, Ottoman (1500-1928) Original dark brown handsome full leather bdg. with a traditional flap. Folio. (32 x 22 cm). In Ottoman script (Old Turkish with Arabic letters). [2], [6], 238 leaves. The size of the text block in red borders: 25.5 x 14.5 cm. 33 lines on each page. Printed on paper with European watermarks. The size of the text block in red borders: 25 x 14.5 cm. 33 lines on each page. Printed on paper with European watermarks. Handwritten title on the bottom edge. A fine copy. The 19th incunable of the Islamic world, printed by Ibrahim Müteferrika's legendary Basmahane. The publication of Ottoman chronicles which began in 1734 with the edition of Naimâ's history, continued after a long break in 1783. This volume, containing the works of three court chroniclers who followed each other in rapid succession, is a chronological continuation of Mehmed Râsid's history, published by Müteferrika. Arpaemînizâde Mustafa Sâmî (deceased 1734) was the court's historian from 1730 to 1733, Sâkir Hüseyin (died 1742) in 1733, and Subhî Mehmed (ca. 1711-1769) from 1739 to 1745. The work of the three chroniclers is known as one coherent historiography, which presents the events of Ottoman history from 1730 to 1744. This work is a particularly valuable source on the Habsburg-Ottoman war between 1736 and 1739, in which Subhî participated in person. The prestige of the work, which offers detailed data on the administrative events (appointments, dismissals, and other biographical communications) is further increased by the fact that Subhî in many cases used original documents. This chronicle includes the events between the years 1730-1743. Contents: Ahd-i Humâyûn [i.e. Imperial constitutional declaration]., Zikr-i tecdîd-i san'at-i tab' [i.e. Preface on the Muteferrika Press of Vasif Efendi]., Fihrist-i târîh-i Sami ve Sakir ve Subhi [i.e. Contents of the work]., Text., History of Subhi. The workshop of Müteferrika began its historical mission in 1728. They published 17 works in 22 volumes. The printing house served as a means to the long-term goal of Müteferrika, his efforts to broaden the horizon and modernize the knowledge of Ottoman society and Islamic civilization. This is evidenced by the subjects of the books selected for publishing, the motivations put forth in the publisher's introductions, as well as by the documents illuminating the background of the publication of each book, also published in print. In 1742, with the publication of the Persian dictionary of Hasan Suûrî, a chapter of Ottoman book printing came to an end. With the death of Müteferrika, the printing of Turkish books was temporarily interrupted. The first generation of Ottoman-Turkish prints was soon followed by a new series when in 1756 Ahmed and Ibrâhîm Efendi (the latter perhaps the founder's son, according to speculative sources) made an attempt to resurrect the legacy of Müteferrika through the possession of a decree obtained from the Sultan. However, this experiment did not prove to be lasting, as it did not last longer than the new edition of the first Turkish printed book, the Lugat-i Vankûlî. After this, for several decades there was no continuation to the Turkish book printing established by Müteferrika, until in 1783 the workshop was put in operation again for the publication of six more works. The subjects of these late 18th century works were dominated by history and military technology, thus Müteferrika's strategy of book distribution made its way hand in hand with the efforts of modernization of the Ottoman state. The second edition of Lugat-i Vankûlî followed the principles of the first edition, and its introduction was composed on the model of the introductory pages of the two last books published under Müteferrika's supervision. The works published after 1783 display a noticeable development in typography not only as to its somewhat refined visual impression but also in its structure. For example, the d+h and r+h ligatures, (For more info please visit our website)