Dumont, X[avier]. Guide de la Lecture des Manuscrits Arabes.

€ 500.00

Only edition of this rare instruction manual designed by the editor to help learners of Arabic overcome what Caussin de Perceval identified as the greatest difficulty in acquiring the language: the obstacle of reading the script. Dumont's workbook provides a total of 25 specimen texts, first in the original handwriting, then in a standardized transcription (such as might be more easily legible to learners familiar with printed Arabic), and finally a French translation. The contents are listed in a separate table at the end: they include examples such as an appointment as manager, various legal documents, literary and narrative pieces, private and business correspondence, and passages from the Qur'an.

Unnumbered pages (1-2) bound last as colophon leaf. A rare Franco-Algerian produced manual in good condition throughout.