Abstract: Dominicus Germanus de Silesia (1588–1670) was a German priest and missionary. Born in Schurgast (present-day Skorogoszcz, Poland), he entered the Franciscan order in 1624 and devoted himself to learning Arabic, Persian, and Turkish. In 1630 he went to Palestine as a pastor, where he continued with his language studies. In 1635 he returned to Rome where he joined the Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda de Fide (Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith). In 1636 he became a teacher at the Mission of San Pietro in Montorio, Rome, and published his grammar of Arabic and Italian, Fabrica overo dittionario della lingua volgare arabica, et italiana (Fabrica, or dictionary of vernacular Arabic and Italian language). Shown here is the rare first edition of his Fabrica, printed by the press of the Propagande de Fide. Dominicus was also the editor of the famous Arabic–Latin dictionary printed at the same press in 1639, and the author of a polemical work, Antitheses Fidei, published in 1638. In 1645 he was sent to Persia on a political mission by King Wladyslaw IV of Poland. Although his destination was Samarkand, he appears to have reached no further than Isfahan, where he remained, studying Persian and Turkish, before returning to Rome in 1651. In 1652 he went to Spain to the court of Philip IV as teacher and translator. A number of his translations survive at the Escorial Palace. In Madrid he completed a translation of the Bible into Arabic, which the Vatican published in 1671. His translation of the Qur’an appears to have been incomplete at his death in 1670, in Madrid.Physical description: 112 pages
Abstract: Philippo Guadagnoli (1596–1656) was a Franciscan priest and Italian orientalist. A native of Magliano in the province of Tuscany, he joined the Franciscan order in 1612 and devoted himself to studying Arabic and other languages of the Middle East. He served as professor of Arabic and Aramaic at Università “La Sapienza” in Rome. His writings include an Arabic translation of the Bible (said to have taken him 27 years to complete) and a polemical work entitled Apologia pro Religione Christiana (In defense of the Christian religion), published in Rome in 1649. Breves Arabicae Linguae Institutiones (Brief principles of the Arabic language) is a study of Arabic grammar. Guadagnoli mentions the didactic poem al-Qasīdah al-Khazrajī by Ḍiyāʾ al-Dīn Abū Muḥammad al-Khazraj̲ī, which contains the author’s encapsulation of the principles of Arabic metrics, thus introducing this important work to Western audiences. Guadagnoli dedicated this work to Cardinal Antonio Barberini (1607–71), a patron of the arts and a member of the prominent Barberini family. It was apparently submitted for publication in 1640, at the church of San Lorenzo, in Lucina, Rome, but it was not published until 1642.Physical description: 362 pages ; 32 centimeters
li-Ibn al-Ḥājib.Imprint from Smitskamp.Signatures: 1⁴ 2-12⁴ $1 signed; signed in Arabic characters.Title page printed in red; text printed in red and black.
min taʼlīf Khwajah Nasīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī = Euclidis Elementorum geometricorum libri tredecimextraditione doctissimi Nasiridini Tusini nunc primum Arabicè impressi.First edition in Arabic.Arabic title romanized.Signatures: 1-50⁴.Pages are numbered in numerals of the traditional Arabic font on p. 2-400 and also in modern Arabic numerals on p. 2, 7 (misnumbered 8), 8, and 25-400.Title and text within double line borders; title vignette."Maqālah al-ūlá ilá al-thālithah ʻashar" on top of double line borders of the page.Text in Arabic only.
Abstract: This item contains seven documents relating to the French Revolutionary Wars in the Levant and Italy:1. A copy of a letter from Sir William Sidney Smith, Commander of the British naval squadron in the Levant, to Captain Wilson, Agent of the East India Company in Judda [Jeddah], sent from HMS
Tigreat Jaffa and dated 30 May 1799. The letter describes the retreat towards Egypt of French forces led by General Napoleon Bonaparte from Accre [Acre] after an unsuccessful siege. It also reports French defeats in Europe.2. An extract of a letter from John Keith, Secretary of Sidney Smith, to John Barker, Proconsul in Aleppo, sent from sea off Barutti [Beirut] and dated 16 June 1799. The letter describes the retreat of French forces from Accre and the role of the naval squadron led by Smith in resisting the siege.3. A copy of a French letter from Sidney Smith to the Grand Vizier [Yūsuf Ẓīa al-Dīn Pāshā, Grand Vizier to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire], sent from Jaffa and dated 30 May 1799. The letter describes the defeat of the French forces besieging Accre; commends the Prince of the Mountain Emir Beshir Shab [Bashīr Shihāb II, Amīr of Mount Lebanon], Beshir Giumblat [Bashīr Jumblāṭṭ], and other Christian and Druze cheikhs [shaikhs] for their support in repelling the French attacks; presses the Vizier to crack down on the abuses of subordinate officials and extend protection to Christians in the area to ensure ‘tranquillity’; and reports Smith’s entry into Jaffa and capture of French artillery.4. A copy of a French letter from Sidney Smith to the Grand Vizier, sent from Barutti and dated 20 June 1799. The letter reports a meeting with Emir Beshir Shab, Beshir Giumblat, and other Christian and Druze sheikhs [shaikhs], stating that they are ready to march against the retreating French forces at the Vizier’s command. Smith also states that he is planning to blockade Rosetta [Rashid] and Damietta [Damiat] in preparation for driving the French occupation forces out of Alexandria.5. An extract of an official bulletin in French published in Vienna on 6 May 1799, describing battles between French and Second Coalition forces in Italy in April 1799.6. An Italian proclamation to French soldiers, criticising the French Revolutionary leadership and calling on soldiers to revolt.7. Extracts from two Italian letters from Constantinople [Istanbul] dated 7 June and 19 May 1799 (authors unknown), describing battles between French and Second Coalition forces in Italy.These documents were copied by Harford Jones, Resident in Bagdad [Baghdad].Physical description: 1 item (8 folios)