Sharjah International Book Fair
Sharjah International Book Fair, 41st edition
2 - 13 November 2022
Daily 10am to 10pm, except Friday 4pm to 11pm
Expo Center Sharjah, Hall 6, Stand O6
-
1Two groundbreaking works in the history of medicineLiber theoricae necnon practicae Alsaharavii [...].Augsburg, 1519.
InquireFirst Latin edition of the first two books, namely the medical and therapeutic section, of "al-Tasrif", a 30-volume Arabic encyclopaedia on medicine and surgery written ca. 1000 CE by the Arab physician Abulcasis, edited by the physician Paul Ricius, and containing "what is probably the earliest description of haemophilia" (Garrison/M.). Abu al-Qasim, …
-
2The missing first volume completing the copy in the Royal Library of Morocco[Kitab fi al-'inayah bi-al-khayl wa-sa'ir dawab al-rukub]. Kitab al-Furusiyah …Morocco, December 1714 CE = early Dhu'l-Hijja 1126 H.
InquirePioneering Abbasid-era study of horsemanship and horse care: the work's only known manuscript in Europe, constituting the long-lost first volume of the set now in the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco.
Titled "Kitab al-Furusiyah" (the "Book of Riding" or "Book of Horses", often referred to as the "Book of Farriery") or, in full, "Kitab …
-
3Fuad Rouhani's copyConsortium Agreement of 1954.London, 1954.
€ 35,000.00One of the founding documents of the 20th century's oil industry: the personal copy of Fuad Rouhani (1907-2004), later the first Secretary General of OPEC, with his autograph annotations and signature.
The historic agreement that provided Western oil companies with 50% ownership in Iranian oil production after its ratification in 1954. It …
-
4Astronomical manuscriptSullam Al-Aflak (Süllemü'l-eflak). [The Stairs of the Orbits].Probably Northern India, 20 Oct. 1867 CE = 22nd Jumada al-Thani 1284 H.
InquireAstronomical manuscript for calculating the times of prayer (salat), one of the Five Pillars of Islam. As the length of each lunar cycle varies slightly from the average value and the lunar calendar can take no account of the four seasons of the year, "Ilm al-Falak", or astronomy, quickly became a respected science within Islam. Accurate calendar …
-
5Medical manuscript including treatments for scabiesKitab Tashil al-manafi' fi al-tibb wa-al-hikmah al-mushtamil 'ala shifa' …Sana'a, Yemen, July 1605 CE = Safar 1014 H.
InquireAn early 17th-century manuscript of a 15th-century work by the Yemeni author Ibrahim ibn 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abu Bakr al-Azraq (or al-Azraqi, d. ca. 1485): a book of remedies dealing with medicinal uses of seeds, grains, and other foods and their nutritional value, including treatments for scabies and improvements for sexual performance. The material …
-
6Earth's rotation considered before Galilei in Islamic astronomyTashrih al-aflak [Anatomy of the celestial spheres].Central Asia, 18th century.
InquireThe "Tashrih al-aflak", known as "general outline of astronomy" or "anatomy of the celestial spheres", is a summary of theoretical astronomy. The philosopher, architect, mathematician, astronomer and poet Baha' al-Din (953-1030 H / 1547-1621), a native of Baalbek, relocated to Iran with his father. Having completed his studies, he is said to have …
-
7The planning of the Bahraini Naval Forces: original map and organizational chartTaqrir muqtarah an insha’ Quwwa Bahariyya li-Dawlat al-Bahrayn [Sketch …Bahrain, mid-1970s.
€ 28,000.00Unique hand-drawn chart of Bahrain's naval force as it was projected in the early and mid-1970s, including two large maps: firstly, of the island's location in the Gulf showing the Navy's planned 200-mile range as well as strategic points throughout the Gulf, and secondly, a smaller scale map showing the defensive coastal artillery firing range and …
-
8The first printed record of Abu Dhabi and DubaiViaggio dell' Indie Orientali.Venice, 1590.
€ 150,000.00First edition of this important travelogue by the Venetian state jeweller and gem merchant Gasparo Balbi, detailing his nine-year voyage from Venice to the Far East between 1579 and 1588, and a work of special historical interest for its eyewitness information about the Arabian Peninsula in this early period. In this book, Balbi was "the first writer …
-
9The astronomy, astrology and allied sciences of the Arabs, Persians and Turks: Anquetil-Duperron's copy[At-Taqwim sana 609] sive Ephemerides Persarum per totum annum, juxta epochas …Augsburg, 1695-1696.
€ 28,000.00Only edition of this rare treatise on the astronomy, astrology and allied sciences of the Arabs, Persians and Turks. Once "said to be the first book printed with Persian characters" (Anderson, The library of the late George H. Hart of New York City, Part II [1922], no. 471), it remains an impressive achievement, even if the oriental languages are …
-
10"on pesche les perles ... dans le Golfe Persique, principalement ... aupres de Baroyn"Les merveilles des Indes orientales ou nouveau traitté des pierres precieuses …Paris, 1661.
€ 25,000.00First edition of this rare work on precious stones and pearls found in the East and West Indies, written by a Parisian "marchand orphèvre". Dedicated to "La Grande Mademoiselle" Anne Marie Louise d'Orléans, Duchess of Montpensier and niece of Louis XIII, with her finely engraved portrait by L. Boissevin (which, according to Graesse, is frequently …
-
11Early 12th century Latin Bible manuscript from LimogesPauline Epistles, Catholic Epistles and the Apocalypse, glossed.Limoges, ca. 1100.
€ 125,000.00A superb example of Limoges Romanesque manuscript production of the first half of the 12th century, written by Petrus del Casta for the Augustinian Abbey of St-Jean-de-Côle, containing one of the earliest surviving texts of the Glossa Ordinaria.
Petrus del Casta is known from the colophon in a Homilies on Ezechiel (ex Phillipps no. 934/2708, …
-
12Commentary on At-Tusi's TadhkiraSharh al-tadhkirah.No place, ca. 1585/1591 CE = 999 or 994 H.
€ 45,000.00A rare, complete, and well-preserved late 16th century Arabic manuscript of Al-Birjandi's "Sharh al-Tadhkirah", a commentary (originally in Persian) on the "Tadhkira", the astronomical memoir of the Persian polymath at-Tusi (1201-74). As consistent with the Islamic tradition of commentary, Al-Birjandi provides explanations for the reader and provides …
-
13Presentation copyAnnual report for the year 1932.Cairo, 1933.
€ 8,500.00Exceptionally rare work on drug trafficking in Egypt in the 1930s and an important example of the "war on drugs" of the author, who was director of the Central Narcotics Intelligence Bureau. Thomas Wentworth Russell (1879-1954), sometimes better known as Russell Pasha, was a police officer in service of Egypt who was appalled by the increasing drug …
-
14Cross-cultural navigation: Turkish-inscribed maritime pilot[Description de la mer méditerranée].Amsterdam, ca. 1670.
€ 25,000.00Unusual working copy of Colom's rare pilot, owned by an Ottoman Turkish mariner with his Osmanli inscriptions transliterating the location names throughout. Colom's charts cover the Straits of Gibraltar, the Barbary Coast, Mallorca, the coastline around Barcelona, Nice, Corsica, Sardinia, Southern Italy, Sicily, and Croatia. Koeman highlights the …
-
15The Trucial States: the relevant treaties published for the first timeMinutes of evidence taken before the select committee on the affairs of …London, 16 August 1832.
€ 15,000.00Includes the first publication of the treaties closed by the British with the Gulf sheikhdoms following General W. Grant Keir's raid on Ras al-Khaimah in 1819/20: the preliminary treaties with Hassan bin Rama (Ras al-Khaimah, 8 Jan. 1820); Sultan bin Sakr (9 Jan. 1820), Sheikh Kameya bin Mahomed bin Jabin al Moyeying, Sheikh of Kishmee, of Dubai …
-
16A cross-cultural Euclid: owned by 16th century Arab in FranceElementorum geometricorum lib. XV.Basel, August 1537.
InquireFirst Latin edition of the "Elements" published by Hervagius. Remarkably, this copy clearly was in the hands of an Arabic speaker in France soon after printing, as it bears notes in Arabic and Latin on title and last leaf ("Euclid the Philosopher ... there is no God but God", "The book of Euclid the philospher on geometry in the Latin language ... …
-
17Arabic manuscript of Euclid's ElementsKitab tahrir usul li-Uqlidus [Elements].Central Asia, 1653 CE = 1063 H.
€ 22,000.00A fine mid-17th century Arabic manuscript of Euclid's famous "Elements of Geometry", the "oldest mathematical textbook in the world still in common use today" (PMM). The translation is by the great Persian polymath Nasir ad-Din at-Tusi (1201-74), after whom the lunar crater "Nasireddin" is named. Written in Central Asia, this manuscript comprises …
-
18Arabic manuscript of the "Optics"Tahrir kitab al-manazir. [Optics].Central Asia, 19th century.
€ 2,800.00An Arabic manuscript of the "Optics" by Euclid, a work on the geometry of vision. According to Euclid, the eye sees objects that are within its visual cone. The visual cone is made up of straight lines, or visual rays, extending outward from the eye. These visual rays are discrete, but we perceive a continuous image because our eyes, and thus our …
-
19The chief of Abothubbee considered "very friendly"A Directory for the Navigation of the Indian Ocean [...]. Second Edition. …London, 1870.
€ 3,000.00Second, enlarged edition of this standard work, first published in 1866. An encyclopedic volume of over 1000 pages with a detailed index. The chapters include descriptions of the coasts and islands of the Cape Colony; coast of Kaffraria and Natal; Eastern Africa; Madagascar and the Mozambique Channel; the coast of Africa, between Cape Delgado and …
-
20A rare "confidential" handbook on the GulfPersian Gulf. Handbooks prepared under the direction of the historical …London, June 1919.
InquireThe most valuable of the Foreign Office "Peace Conference" handbooks, entirely devoted to the Gulf. An excellent example of the rare "confidential" issue, it features a large folding map and passages of text not included in public issue of 1920.
In the Spring of 1917 the Foreign Office started work on a series of handbooks for the use of British …
-
21The first modern map of ArabiaIl disegno della seconda parte dell'Asia.Venice, 1561.
InquireAn extraordinary example of "the first modern map of the Arabian peninsula" (Al-Ankary), by far the best copy we have ever handled: the first issue of the first edition, a strong impression on thick white paper with excellent contrast and exceptionally broad margins. "L'opera è dedicata al mecenate Johann Jakob Fugger ... a firma Giacomo di Castaldi …
-
22The first photographs from Al-'UlaCollection of 5 photographs from Al-'Ula and 3 photographs from Mada'in …Al'Ula and Hegra, 1907.
InquireThe only known photographs from the earliest photographic documentation of the Arabic old town of Al-'Ula, including some of the earliest photographs showing the important archaeological site of Hegra at Mada'in Salih, and Gaudin's hand-drawn map of the Hejaz railway.
The historically significant photographs from Al-'Ula show ancient Dadanitic …
-
23A French railway engineer in the Ottoman Empire and YemenCollection of 19 photographic negatives from Turkey and Yemen.Turkey and Yemen, ca. 1892-1911.
€ 25,000.00Highly interesting collection of photographs documenting railway construction in Yemen and Turkey as well as an unidentified oriental port city, among other subjects. Paul Gaudin held important positions as a railway engineer and director in the Ottoman Empire between 1892 and 1911, specifically as director of the Moudania-Brousse railway line (1892-94), …
-
24The first edition to call Geber an Arab: profusely annotated throughout(De alchemia). In hoc volumine de alchemia continentur haec. Gebri Arabis, …Nuremberg, 1541.
€ 48,000.00The rare first edition of this extremely important and early collection of alchemical writings, which unites several first printings of works previously circulated only as manuscripts. This is first edition to call Geber an "Arab", the first to use "Summa perfectionis magisterii" on the title-page, and also the first printing of the famous "Smaragdine …
-
25"A mine of information on the development of the modern Gulf"Administration Report on the Persian Gulf Political Residency and Maskat …Calcutta, 1901.
€ 45,000.00First edition, one of 160 copies. A separate annual "Administration Report" on the Gulf region which the British Political Residents submitted to the Indian Viceroy and Governor. The bland official title belies the true value of the series, which has been called "a mine of information on the development of the modern Gulf" (Cambridge Archive Editions). …
-
26Numerical systems compared: 30 years before the birth of Indo-European studiesAritmetica delle nazioni e divisione del tempo fra l'orientali.Cesena, 1786.
€ 7,500.00First edition thus. A highly interesting work comparing the different numerical systems used by various languages and cultures: Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, North and South American Indian cultures, Chinese, Japanese, Tamil, Coptic, Maori, etc. Separate chapters investigate the European adoption of the Arabic system of numerals. The engraved plate shows …
-
27Oriental games from Arabia and PersiaMandragorias, seu historia shahiludii.Oxford, 1694.
€ 12,500.00First edition. Important work dedicated to oriental games from Arabia and Persia as well as from India and China, including backgammon, draughts and dice. Also contains the first scholarly account devoted to the history of chess (pp. 53-137), with two folding plates showing chessboards, engravings of a giraffe, and examples of various types of chessmen …
-
28Complete collective medical manuscriptAl-Urjuza fi l-tibb [Poem on Medicine] and other medical and alchemical …Probably Ottoman Empire, ca. 1690s / late 17th century CE.
€ 40,000.00A fine, complete composite medical manuscript, including pharmacological and alchemical material. The principal section is formed by the "Urjuza fi l-tibb", or "Medical Poem" of Ibn Sina, which can be considered a poetic summary in 1326 verses of the author's great encyclopedic textbook, the Qanun. The verse form made it popular as a mnemonic in …
-
29First explicit statement of the principles of pearl valuationA treatise on diamonds and pearls. In which their importance is considered: …London, 1750.
€ 18,000.00Rare first edition of the "first book in English to describe how diamonds and pearls can be evaluated on the basis of the factors of size (or weight) and style of cut" (Sinkankas). The London jeweller Jeffries is also the first author to provide "a clear statement of the principle that the value of pearls should be calculated to the square of their …
-
30Showing the future borderFinal map of dividing line of the Kuwait - Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone.N. p., August 1968.
€ 3,500.00Showing the future border, then the dividing line through the Saudi-Kuwaiti Neutral Zone, a 5,770 km² area between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait that was left undefined when the border was established by in 1922. Partitioning negotiations finally commenced when the rulers of both countries met and decided, in October 1960, that the Neutral Zone should …
-
31A truly outstanding Cedid in its original bindingCedid Atlas Tercümesi [= New Atlas, Translated].Üsküdar/Istanbul, April 1803-March 1804 CE = 1218 H.
InquireThe first European-style atlas printed in the Islamic world: an exceedingly rare, handsome, and entirely complete example in its original first binding. "[T]he first world atlas printed by Muslims [...], of which only fifty copies were printed" (Library of Congress, Near East Collections: an illustrated guide, online). Several copies were reserved …
-
32Anatomical manual in UrduMajmuah Tibb [Compendium of Medicine].Delhi or Bombay, 1890 CE = 1307 H.
InquireA prettily illustrated late 19th century anatomical manual written in Urdu. The careful illustrations show the human skeleton and its individual parts, the muscular apparatus, the organs, the eye, a fetus in the womb, etc.
Paper browned and brittle with a few edge tears, but on the whole very well preserved.
-
33First illustrated edition of the first dedicated anatomy bookAnathomia Mundini emendata per doctorem melerstat.Leipzig, 1493.
€ 125,000.00First edition of the first dedicated anatomy book. "The first modern book devoted solely to anatomy [...] Mundinus re-introduced human dissection, which had been neglected for 1500 years before him; he was the most noted dissector of his period. The medieval anatomical vocabulary, well set forth by Mundinus, was derived mainly from Arabic" (Garrison/M.). …
-
34Earliest printing of Arabic physicians in a modern vernacularArzneibuch.Nuremberg, 17 Mar 1477.
€ 95,000.00One of the earliest medical books in the vernacular and the first printed German pharmacopoeia. First dated edition: an undated edition was published at Augsburg in the same year, followed by four more printed editions before 1500. Of the utmost rarity, no copy of the present first edition traceable at auction or in the trade since 1950. Only Lathrop …
-
35The Treaties of Peace signed by all the Sheikhs of the Arab Tribes of the GulfPersian Gulf: French and Portuguese Possessions.London, 1920.
€ 4,500.00A manual of "geographical, economic, historical, social, religious and political" information compiled for the British delegates to the Peace Conference that took place in Versailles in 1919, here issued "for public use" for the first time. The extensive section on the Arabian coastal regions includes not only detailed statistics (giving the population …
-
36"Au nom d'Allah clément et misericordieux, juste, bon et puissant!" The first French translation of the Qur'an by a womanL'Alkoran! (Le livre par excellence.) Traduction textuelle de l'arabe faite …Lisbon, 1861.
€ 4,800.00Only edition: one of the great mysteries of Qur'anic literature, and apparently the first translation of the Qur'an into French by a woman - or, as it is glossed in the British Museum catalogue, "a compilation of passages of the Koran, of Traditions, and of ideas peculiar to Fatma Zaida" (Ellis). Following those of Du Ryer (1647), Savary (1783), …
-
37The first book on smallpox[Kitab al-Gadari wa 'l-Hasbah - latine.] Libri duodecim; Razae de pestilentia …Strasbourg, 1549.
€ 7,500.00First Latin edition of this collection, published in Greek by Stephanus in Paris the previous year (itself a translation from Syriac): the twelve books on medicine by Alexander of Tralles, the first parasitologist in medical history (and the younger brother of Anthemius, architect of the Hagia Sophia), issued with al-Razi's classic treatise on smallpox …
-
38Confidential air route bookAir Route Book. Cairo to Karachi via North Arabia and Persian Gulf (Cairo …Cairo, 1943.
InquireFirst edition. A confidential air route book, compiled for the use of pilots flying from Cairo to Karachi during WWII, covering the main air route of the time that passed through the Arabian Gulf at staging posts in Palestine, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, Sharjah, and India.
The handbook covers all aspects for flying within the Middle East including …
-
39Rare collection of correspondence by significant personalities and rulers: the definitive editionDelle lettere di principi.Venice, 1581.
€ 7,500.00Rare collection of correspondence by significant personalities and rulers, including Andrea Doria, Annibale Caro, Baldassare Castiglione, Bernardo and Pietro Bibiena, Cardinal Bessarion, Lorenzo and Cosimo de' Medici, Pietro Gonzaga, Hieronimo Fracastoro, Giovanni Bembo, Francesco Guiccardini, Emperor Charles V, Pope Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici), …
-
40Presentation copy inscribed to Saleh bin Ghalib Al-Qu'aiti, Sultan of Shihr and MakallaSaid bin Sultan (1791-1856). Ruler of Oman and Zanzibar. His Place in the …London, 1929.
€ 28,000.00Rare first edition: presentation copy from Said-Ruete to Sir Saleh bin Ghalib Al-Qu'aiti, Sultan of Shihr and Makalla (ruled 1936-56), inscribed in green ink: "To / His Highness The Sultan / of Shiher and Makalla / Saleh bin Galib Alcaity / a token of sincere esteem / by the Author. / London, May 7th 1937". Below this is pasted a printed bookplate …
-
41Arabic travel account from the early Abbasid era, concerning China and India[Silsilat al-tawarik]. Relation des voyages faits par les Arabes et les …Paris, 1845.
€ 6,500.00First edition in French of two Arabic travels to China and India. The text was translated from the Arabic by the French orientalist and professor Joseph Toussaint Reinaud (1795-1867). The Arabic text was first printed in 1811, under supervision of the French linguist and orientalist Louis-Mathieu Langlès.
The first volume starts with an introduction …
-
42The genealogy of the Arab peoples, printed in Baghdad: early lithography in the Arab worldHadha kitab Saba'ik al-dhahab fi ma'rifat qaba'il al-'Arab [The book of …Baghdad, 1864 CE = 1280 H.
€ 15,000.00First edition: a rare and important work on the genealogy of the Arab tribes, also an early, graphically sophisticated lithographic effort from the Arab World. The "Book of Gold Bars" by the prominent Iraqi theologian and historian Suwaydi (1786-1831) is a revised and expanded interpretation of the "Dictionary of the Arab Genealogy" by the legendary …
-
43Editio princeps of St. Thomas's treatise against the unbelievers[Summa contra gentiles]. De veritate catholicae fidei contra errores infidelium …Strasbourg, not after 1474.
InquireEditio princeps. Magnificent copy of the rare first edition of one of St. Thomas Aquinas's two masterpieces which systematized Latin theology. The printer is commonly referred to as "the printer of Henricus Ariminensis"; the ISTC suggests the Eichstädt printer Georg Reyser (active until 1503; cf. ADB 28, 368f.) known for his characteristic type, …
-
44Early Himalayan manuscript: a complete Sutra written in gold on blue stained paperThe Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines.Tibet, 13th century CE.
InquireA canonical Buddhist sutra and the central text of the Mahayana Prajnaparamita school. The present text is a Tibetan translation from the original Sanskrit, of which there are also Chinese, Korean, and Japanese translations. The "Perfection of Wisdom" sutra exists in a range of shorter and longer recensions, of which that in 8,000 lines is regarded …
-
45Rare report on the British trade of Oman and the "Pirate Coast"Trade with the Muscat Region. Report on the Condition and Prospects of …London, 1904.
€ 4,500.00First edition of this rare and highly interesting commercial report. Maclean, Special Commissioner of the Commercial Intelligence Committee of the British Board of Trade, travelled to Muscat in February 1904 and made detailed notes on the trade of Oman (imports, exports, coinage, weights, freight and course of trade). He then visited Bahrain and …
-
46Early Arabic mathematical manuscriptKitab ad-darb wa'l-qisma fi 'ilm al-jabr wa al-hisab [On multiplication …Probably Persia, 14th/15th century CE.
€ 35,000.00A late 14th or early 15th century mathematical manuscript, probably written in Iran or possibly the Eastern Mediterranean. The Persian scholar Nasir al-Din Muhamad ibn Muhamad ibn al-Hasan at-Tusi (1201-74) was known for his extensive work on science, physics, mathematics and theology. He is often credited with the invention and identification of …
-
47Uncommon guide to the GulfBahrain and the Persian Gulf.Ipswich, 1952.
€ 1,800.00First edition. An uncommon short guide to the Gulf, with chapters on the Trucial Coast (now the United Arab Emirates) and Qatar as well as on Muscat, Bahrain, and Kuwait. While travelling through coastal Eastern Arabia, Tweedy noticed the demand for "some kind of handbook" on the Arab States of the Gulf and the lack of such publications on offer. …
-
48One of the earliest printed sources for the early history of Fujairah and SharjahViaggi di Pietro della Valle il pellegrino. Descritta da lui medesimo in …Rome, 1650-1663.
€ 28,000.00A complete set of the first edition of Della Valle's "Viaggi", highly sought after as one of the earliest printed sources for the early history of Dibba, the coastal region at the northeastern tip of the United Arab Emirates, today ruled by the Emirates of Fujairah and of Sharjah.
Pietro della Valle (1586-1652) left Venice in 1614 on a pilgrimage …
-
49Islamic architecture, illustratedSyrie centrale. Architecture civile et religieuse du Ier au VIIe siècle.Paris, 1865-1877.
€ 25,000.00First edition of this detailed study of Syrian decorative architectural art. "De Vogüé travelled with William Waddington in 1853 and 1854, exploring the area from Aleppo to Damascus, Palmyra and Basra. It was an important expedition and much new material was uncovered. The author became ambassador to the Porte in 1871" (Blackmer).
Occasional …
-
50A manuscript album on yogaA series of illustrations produced for a high minister in the Rana period …Nepal, ca. 1850-1860 CE.
InquireA professionally executed album presumably intended for an unidentified minister in the Rana administration. In all likelihood this patron is depicted on the left in the miniature on folio 17v (caption: minishtara) as paying homage to a twenty-armed form of the Goddess Durga riding a white snow-lion (caption: bhagavati). The minister is unusually …