[Guys, Jean-Baptiste]. La bacchetta prodigiosa o sia Abizai. Storia trasportata dall’arabo.

$1,061.00

First Italian edition. Originally published in French in 1755 under the title "La Baguette mysterieuse, ou Abizai" (Den Haag, Duchesne), this orientalist work was penned by Jean-Baptiste Guys, author of plays and novels with exotic themes. The classic narrative device is that of the discovery of a manuscript containing a fascinating story, written by an author unknown in Europe, but supposedly as famous in the East as the Prophet himself: "The story that you will read hereafter has so little truth in it, that there will never be anyone, however credulous he may be, who at first sight will give it credence and believe it to be true. Nevertheless, Cara-mi-ouf, an Arab writer, from whom I have faithfully copied it, protests and maintains on every page of his manuscript that it is very true. Two travellers who are friends of mine, from whom I have received it, as you will see below, assure me that this writer is held in such high esteem and veneration by the Turks, as Muhammad himself is among them" (from the "Preface", p. VII).

The Italian version was prepared by the playwright and novelist Pietro Chiari, as the title of the second edition, printed in Naples in 1777, attests: "La bacchetta prodigiosa o sia Abizai storia trasportata dall'arabo e pubblicata dall'abate Pietro Chiari".

Considerably scarce, only three library copies traceable worldwide.