The History Of The Arabians, Under The Government Of The Caliphs, From Mahomet, Their Founder, To The Death Of Mostazem, The Fifty-Sixth And Last Abassian Caliphs; Containing The Space Of Six-Hundred Thirty-Six Years. With Notes, Historical, Critical, And Explanatory: Together With Genealogical And Chronological Tables; And A Complete Index To Each Volume. Translated From The French, With Additional Notes. Marigny, FrançOis Augier De.

First English edition, originally published at Paris in 1750, decidedly uncommon and presented here in an attractive period binding. This is an important history, covering the period from the foundation of Islam down to the death of the last Abbasid caliph Al-Musta'sim (reigned 1242-1258), executed following the Mongol sack of Baghdad. The Abbé François Augier de Marigny (c.1690-1762), who knew no Arabic, based his work on Barthelemy Herbelot's Bibliotheque orientale (1697), which in turn drew on the immense Arabic bibliography, the Kashf al-Zunun by the 17th-century Ottoman polymath Hadji Khalfa (Katip Çelebi). "Marigny's history was a popular work aimed at a general readership" and was translated into German by the writer and philosopher Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, who defended Marigny from criticism "on the grounds that he had used the best non-Arabic sources then available, and that a history of this kind is much better than no history at all. But the real motive for his defense is his own sympathy with the Islamic world and his desire to publicise Marigny's positive account of Arab civilisation" (Nisbet, p. 154). ESTC T90017. H. B. Nisbet, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing: His Life, Works & Thought, 2013 Four volumes, octavo (210 x 125). Contemporary marbled calf, decorative gilt spines with red and green twin labels, gilt single fillet panel to covers, decorative gilt turn-ins, Nonpareil pattern endpapers. With 4 letterpress tables in vol. I. Contemporary bookplate (baron's coronet surmounting an initial "C"). Head and tail of spines chipped (headcaps neatly repaired), craquelure to spine labels, joints partially split but sound, some wear to corners, scattered foxing, yet this remains a very good set in an attractive period binding.