Lot 95
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[East India Company printing in Arabic] Firuzabadi, Muhammad bin Yaqub al- (1326-1415 CE)
Kitab al-qamus al-muhit ['The Expansive Ocean']
Auction: Other Properties | Wed 25 February from 10am | Lots 63 to 255
Description
Calcutta: printed by Ahmad bin Muhammad bin ‘Ali al-Ansari al-Yamani al-Shirwani, beginning of Muharram 1230 AH - 25 Rabi’ al-Thani 1232 AH [i.e. 1814-17 CE]. 4 parts in 2 volumes, folio (38 x 23cm), [5] 2-541 [542-5] 546-1039, 1042-1486 [1487-9] 1490-1978 pp., collates pi2 A-Z2 1A-9Z2, 10A-19A2 (-19A2, presumed blank; register includes both I and J, and U and W but no V), recent red morocco with earlier leather panels bearing gilt arms of the College of Fort William relaid to covers, manuscript catch-titles to fore edges, variable browning, volume 1 with damp-staining to outer leaves, marginal paper restoration to first two quires (pi-A) and final leaf, light marginal worming to pp. 1-150 (initially two holes, reducing to one), infilled worming to fore margins of final few leaves, a few small burn-holes (e.g. to 2C2, 5O2 and 6B2) occasionally obscuring a letter or word, volume 2 with damp-staining to gutter and corners and worming to corners of initial quires, both gradually reducing, 10A-B with paper restoration lower fore corners, following quires up to 10F with infill to worm-tracks, marginal worming recurring in last few quires, small closed tear in text of 18Z1, final leaf 19A1 strengthened in gutter (2)
Footnote
First edition of the foundational dictionary of classical Arabic, one of a small number of important editions of canonical Arabic texts printed under the auspices of Yemeni philologist Ahmad al-Shirwani (1785-1840) at the East India's Company's College of Fort William press in the early 19th century. The other works Ahmad saw through the press during his brief but highly productive tenure include the legendary first edition in the original Arabic of the Alf layla wa-layla, or The Thousand and One Nights (1814-18), the Rasa'il Ikhwan al-Safa' (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity), and the Diwan of al-Mutanabbi. A merchant by trade, Ahmad travelled to Calcutta for commercial reasons in 1809, but the following year was appointed teacher of Arabic at Fort William, the East India Company's academy for the study of oriental languages. He remained there until 1818, when he travelled to Lucknow to oversee the new printing press of the nawab of Oudh.