Mahmoud le Gasnevide, histoire orientale. Fragment traduit de l'Arabe, avec des Notes
by MELON, Jean François
- Used
- Condition
- An attractive copy, professionally rebacked.
- Seller
-
Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
First edition of one of the more popular utopian satires of the era, written by a friend of both the economist John Law (of South Sea Bubble fame) and the jurist Montesquieu.
Mahmoud purports to tell the tale of the Caliphate (translated, of course, from a newly-discovered Arabic original) but was quickly recognized as 'une satire de la régence' of Louis XV (Nouvelle Biographie Générale). Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the book is that the author was a warm partisan of luxury as the true engine of civilisation (see his Essai Politique sur la Commerce), meaning that he had no interest in making bland attacks on the supposed decadence of the East.
The novel was one of the first books by the economist Jean François Melon (1675-1738), an influential French intellectual, who, amongst other things, helped found a literary society under the protection of the Duc de la Force. He became an important member of the Court, regularly consulted for advice on commerce and finance.
This is an attractive copy, with the armorial bookplate of John West, first Earl de la Warr, eighteenth century English politician and soldier.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Hordern House Rare Books (AU)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3006446
- Title
- Mahmoud le Gasnevide, histoire orientale. Fragment traduit de l'Arabe, avec des Notes
- Author
- MELON, Jean François
- Book Condition
- Used - An attractive copy, professionally rebacked.
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Jean Hofhoudt
- Place of Publication
- Rotterdam
- Date Published
- 1729
Terms of Sale
Hordern House Rare Books
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About the Seller
Hordern House Rare Books
About Hordern House Rare Books
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...