Clermont-Ganneau, Charles Simon. Histoire de Calife le Pecheur et du Calife Haroun Er-Rechid Conte Inedit des Mille et Une Nuits Texte Turc Accompagne de Notes Explicatives et de la Traduction Francaise en Regard. Jerusalem Typographie de Terre Sainte 1869
First Edition, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper in brown ink, "A mon ami/ Le conte du [Nouilly?]/ un [illegible] sympathetic et un souvenir se son [illegible]/ Clermont-Ganneau." 8vo; 5 1/2 x 8 1/2"; 128pp. incl. preface; 19th-century 3/4 teal morocco and marbled paper, in multiple blues, red, and white, over boards; raised spine with six panels, with title and author stamped in gilt, teg; later marbled pastedowns in black, cream, red, and green; elaborate woodcuts on half-title, dedication, and title pages; bilingual text (French and Arabic) printed inside woodcut borders; green silk ribbon present and in fine condition. Light scuffing to boards and hinges, corners bumped, light shelf wear; pastedown and initial leaves browning, with the signature causing a faint bleaching effect on subsequent leaf; inner leaves all very good+, overall about very good. An incredibly rare and interesting bilingual edition of an excerpt from A THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS, translated from Arabic to French by Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau (1846-1923), then a young translator for the French consul of Jerusalem (note the imprimateur). But Clermont-Ganneau was also a budding scholar, soon to become an eminent French orientalist and biblical archeologist of great renown. He was famously involved in attempts to locate the lost royal sepulchers of Israel's kings, particularly King David; and made intensive studies of the land now known as Akrabittine (Aqrabah), mentioned in the Bible as being at the southern boundary of the Promised Land. He is credited with uncovering the inscription of the The Moabite Stone (now in the Louvre, Paris), one of the greatest Biblical discoveries of modern times. Clermont- Ganneau's most famous work was the 8 volume Recueil d'Archeologie Orientale, published in 8 volumes between 1885 and 1924. The present book, written many years before his rise to fame, offers a page by page translation of the Tale of Calife the Fisherman. Rlin locates only Univ. of Chicago copy. References deleted as they contain web addresses.
$US1250
Click here to see an image of this item.
This item is listed on Bibliopoly by Priscilla Juvelis, Inc; click here for further details.