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78 - [TURKEY] - RYCAUT (Paul). Histoire de l'état présent de l'Em…
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Estimate €300 - €500
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Description
[TURKEY] - RYCAUT (Paul). Histoire de l'état présent de l'Empire Ottoman, contenant les maximes politiques des Turcs, les principaux points de la religion Mahométane, ses sectes, ses hérésies, & ses diverses sortes de religieux ; leur discipline militaire [...]. French first edition of the first detailed work on the Ottoman Empire, illustrated with fine copper engravings by Sébastien Le Clerc. Paris, Sébastien Mabre-Cramoisy, 1670. Large in-4 (210x270 mm), full cherry basane, spine with 4 false nerves underlined by gilt stippling, gilt fillets, fleurons and friezes to the entrenerfs, title in gold lettering, red headband, moiré paper lining and endpapers (later binding). 6 ff.n.ch., 382 pages and 1 f. (privilege), 1 title-frontispiece, 3 vignettes and 3 headbands and 21 vignettes with the letter in the text, all engraved on copper by Sébastien Le Clerc. Binding slightly scuffed, hole in inner margin up to page 66, minor browning in outer margin of last 50 pages. First French edition, in Pierre Briot's translation, of this Turkish chronicle by the historian and diplomat Paul Rycaut (1629-1700). First published in English in 1668 before being translated into many languages, this work is considered to be the first to provide a good insight into Turkish customs, resources and Ottoman politics. It is illustrated here with copper engravings by Sébastien Le Clerc, elegantly depicting the costumes of the Ottomans, the sultan and the military. The author, who was attached as secretary to Charles II's ambassador extraordinary to Sultan Mehmed IV in Constantinople from 1661 to 1667, draws on observations gathered during the twenty years he spent in Turkey. It is "the best book on Turkey we had at the time, and still reads with interest" (Willems 1872). An elegant copy, with a rare freshness inside.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Prestige sale - Antiquarian and collectible books
Auction location
Auction time 06/15/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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