12mo. Volume I: 168 pp., / Volume II: 169-407 pp., / pages 346-407 with title: Livre Troisieme qui contient la vie du faux prophête depuis la premiere egire jusqu'à sa mort, titles printed in red & black, contemporary full calf, title gilt on raised decorated spine, marbled endpaper, ell edges red, scattered spotting, otherwise copy in very good condition, Pierre Humbert, Amsterdam, 1731.

Synopsis

RARE. Count Boulainvilliers (1658-1722) was an ardent admirer of Prophet Mohammed and placed Islam far above traditional Christianity. Accordingly, it is not surprising that his work demonstrates strong anticlerical tendencies. He extols the Prophet as a wise man, as an instrument of God and perceives in him the person who propagates a sensible religion, having replaced an erroneous religious service by the true one. The first volume contains a description of Arabia, the customs and traditions of the Arabs together with a description of Makkah and Madinah. The third part of the volume “Qui contient la Vie faux Prophete depuis la premiere Egire jusqu’a sa mort” does not originate from Boulainvilliers himself, he had died in 1722. The anonymous author of this last part has not yet been identified.
This biography was translated several times: into English in 1731, into Italian in 1745 and into German in 1747. This translation was completed by Theodor Arnold who edited his Koran with the same publisher one year before. A second German edition followed in 1769. Johann August Mebes later produced a new translation. This appeared in 1785 with Hendel in Halle.
Second edition of this biography. Compared to the first edition the title has been changed. Hitherto unnoticed among the bibliographies is a version of this second edition. There are some copies-albeit very rare- which bear two frontispiece and eight (unsigned) coppers in the second part. Enay 16.