NIEBUHR, Carsten.
Beschrijving van Arabie, uit eigene waarnemingen en in 't land zelf verzamelde narigten opgesteld door Carsten Neibuhr. Uit het Hoogduits vertaald, en vermeerderd met een volledig register van 't geheele werk.
Amsterdam and Utrecht, S.J. BAalde and J. van Schoonhoven & Comp., MDCCLXXIV [= 1774]. 2 works in one volume. 4to. With engraved title-page, 24 (partly folding, a few coloured) maps and views, including a long folding map of the Red Sea, a folding genealogical table of the rulers of Sana, and the large map of Yemen (coloured in outline). With some parts (some sentences) of the text printed in Arabic script.
With: (2) MICHAËLIS, Johann David [transl. Jacob van EKERS]. Vragen aan een gezelschap van geleerde mannen, die op bevel zynder majesteit des konings van Denemarken naar Arabie reizen. Voorgesteld door den hooggeleerden en wydberoemden heer Johann David Michaëlis. Koninglyken Grootbrittanischen en keurvorstlyken Brunswyk- Lunenburgschen hofraad, hoogleeraar in de wysbegeerte te Gottingen, en bestierder van de societeit der wetenschappen aldaar. Waarby gevoegd is, beoordeling van Niebuhrs beschryving van Arabie door den zelfden schryver, getrokken uit deszelfs orientalische en exegetische bibliotheek , IV. deel. In 't Neerduitsch vertaald en uitgegeven door Jacob van Ekers, bedienaar des goddelyken woords te Medenblik.
Amsterdam and Utrecht, S.J. Baalde and J. van Schoonhoven and Comp., MDCCLXXIV [=1774].
Contemporary half calf marbled sides, gold-tooled spine, red and black spine labels with the two titles lettered in gold. [6], XXXXI, [1], 408, [14]; [2 blank] XLVI, 270, [2] pp.
€ 2,800
First Dutch translation of an important and famous account of the Danish royal expedition to the Middle East, Egypt, Persia and India (1761-67), the first scientific expedition to this area. Niebuhr's account is here bound with the Dutch translation of Michaëlis's work, containing a review of the first. "The expedition had been proposed by the Hebrew scholar Johann David Michäelis of Göttingen for the purpose of illustrating certain passages of the Old Testament, and initially envisaged only a single traveller, possible an Arabic scholar. However, the idea rapidly blossomed into a fully-fledged scientfiic expedi - tion. The team eventually assembled, for which there was no appointed leader, included Niebuhr as surveyor, along with Friedrich Christian von Haven, Peter Forskall, Christian Carl Kramer, Georg Baurenfeind, and a Swedish ex-soldier named Berggren'' (Howgego). Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815) was the sole survivor, and his work represents an important contribution to the study of the Middle East. His map of Yemen, the first exact map of the area ever, remained the standard for the next 200 years. The plates include views of the mosques of Mecca and Medina, and 6 maps including the map of Yemen and of the Gulf of Suez. Furthermore it contains Arabic specimens from the Qur'an, with vowel points and decorations hand coloured. Niebuhr's "accounts are probably the best and most authentic of their day" (Cox).
Handwritten ownership on title-page cancelled, causing some ink spots to neighbouring pages. Extremities somewhat rubbed. A tear in the large map of Yemen repaired with tape; slight foxing to some plates along the fold lines. A good copy of a standard work. Gay 3589; Howgego I, N24; Tiele, Bibl. 795f; cf. Atabey 873f; Cox I, 237f; Hamilton, Europe and the Arab world 48.
Related Subjects:
