First Arabic edition of an important eyewitness account of the life of Tamerlane 1636

Various artists

PaperLeather
Currently unavailable via Gallerease

• About the artwork
  [Kitab 'Aja'ib al-maqdur fi aghbar Timur] Vitae & rerum gestarum Timuri, qui vulgo Tamerlanes dicitur, historia.
  Leiden, Elsevier, 1636. 4to. With half-title printed in dark blue and red, title-page printed in red and black within woodcut borders and and leaf *3 printed in red, dark blue, and black. Later stiff paper wrappers.
  
  First Arabic edition of an important eyewitness account of the life of Tamerlane (Timur), the successful and barbaric 14th-century Turkish conqueror, printed entirely in Arabic. "An interesting feature of the book is the use of blue ink for the printing of the word 'Tamerlanis' (between two red lines) on the half-title, as well as for one typographical ornament on leaf 3 recto" (Smitskamp). The text is based on the original Arabic manuscript, completed in 1437-1438, by the Syrian author Ahmad lbn 'Arabshah, secretary of Sultan Ahmad of Baghdad. In the 16th century Timur was made famous in Europe through Christopher Marlowe's play Tamburlaine (1590). The present work was edited and prefaced by Jacob Golius. The Arabic manuscript used by him is still preserved at Leiden University library and contains many notes in his hand.
  
  With an unidentified library stamp on title-page. Some leaves heavily foxed and a few small spots. Overall a good copy.
  
  De Nave 90; Smitskamp 313; STCN (8 copies); Willems 434; not in Atabey; Blackmer.
• About the artist
  More than one artist has worked on this object.