Recueil des rits et cérémonies

A very good, fresh example of the first edition of this 'very interesting work [which] contains five separate essays. The first three are translations from Arabic and Turkish authorities; the last two are eye-witness accounts - one a long description of Chios and the other a description of the marriage of Sultana Esma with Yakub Pasha, governor of Silistria' (Navari).

'Galland's account of the rituals surrounding the pilgrimage to Mekkah includes enlightening description of many of the important shrines and sites within the city. Extensive footnotes describe the history and physical appearance of such features as the Ka'aba, the Black Stone, and Mount Ararat, as well as explaining relevant Arabic terms and the importance of certain religious figures in the Islamic tradition' (Atabey).

'Galland, "dragoman" or interpreter in the Levant, nephew of the celebrated orientalist Antoine Galland, translated many works into French, the present work being a collected edition of five Arabic and Turkish pieces' (Blackmer).

Also contains a discussion of Ottoman science (the Traduction d'une dissertation sur les sciences des Turcs, et sur l'ordre qu'ils gardent dans le cours de leurs études by Zaini Efendi, pp. 85-98).

First edition, 8vo, viii, 215 pp., 19th-century half calf over marbled boards, spine with raised bands, red morocco label lettered in gilt; rebacked to style retaining label, corners a bit rubbed.

Atabey 470; Blackmer 643; Navari 643.