Long the standard Life of the Prophet
La vie de Mahomet; traduite et compilée de l'Alcoran, des traditions authentiques de la Sonna, et des meilleures auteurs arabes.
8vo. 2 vols. (2), XLII, (6), 460 pp. (6), 413, (32) pp. with 2 engr. frontispieces, 2 engr. title vignettes, and folding plate. Contemp. polished calf bindings with triple cover fillets, spines richly gilt. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt.
€ 2,800.00
First edition, long the standard Life of the Prophet.
"This truly excellent, historical biography provides an account of Muhammad's life including all the fables and miracles. The author was the first to use superior, recent sources and usually quotes from the Arabic authors verbatim. His translations are nothing less than brilliant, and his work was long considered the best biography of the Prophet. Many later authors used it" (cf. Enay). Jean Gagnier (1670-1740) taught oriental languages at Oxford. The plate showing the Kaaba in Mecca is based on a ms. in the Bodleian Library.
Insignificant browning. Engraved bookplate to pastedown. A very appealing copy, perfectly preserved.
Chauvin XI, pp. 4-7. Gay 3619. Brunet 28000. Silvestre de Sacy 1438. Enay 33.
