sive brevis & succincta descriptio Regni Habessinorum, quod vulgo male Presbyteri Iohannis vocatur. In qua libris quatuor agitur I. De natura & indole regionis & incolarum. II. De regimine politico, regum successione &. III. De statu ecclesiastico, inition & progressu religionis Christianae &. IV. De rebus privatis, literatura, oeconomia, &. cum tabula Capitum, & indicibus necessariis. [WITH] Appendix ad historiam Aethiopicam... [WITH] Dissertatio de locustis anno praeterito... [With] Relatio Nova de hodierno Habessiniae statu...
Frankfurt Zunner, 1681-1693-1691-1694-1693.
Hiob Ludolf, the famous German orientalist, was born at Erfurt in 1624. Whilst travelling in Italy, increasing his linguistic knowledge, he met an Abyssinian native scholar named Gregorius, and acquired from him an intimate knowledge of the Ethiopic language. In 1683 he came to England in order to try and open up trade with Abyssinia, but owing to the opposition of the ecclesiastical authorities in Abyssinia his efforts were unsuccessful. The present volume contains his famous account of Ethiopia together with the Commentaries issued ten years later.
There are various specimens of Ethiopic type throughout the volume, including a 6-page index. The plates of animals are very interesting and include sheep, various monkeys, elephants, hippopotamus, zebra, and tigers.
First edition. 5 parts in 1 vol., folio. [336]; 32 ; 30; 631 [1]; 32; 88; 32 pp., first three titles printed in red and black with device, text printed in red and black, engraved mezzotint portrait of Abba Gregorius, 17 engraved plates (9 folding), full-page engraved portrait of a fictional Ethiopian king, 2 folding letterpress genealogical tables, Dissertatio Locustis with engraved vignette to title, 2 engravings in the text (1 full-page), light browning to upper part of title, Relatio Nova with engraved title vignette and engraved half-length portrait of Sultan Mahmud of Jaipore in text, contemporary vellum, morocco label, yapp edges, a very good copy.
Fumagalli 1429; Hilmy I, 395.
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