12mo. Volume I: XLII, [6], 460 pp., frontispiece steel engraving / Volume II: [4], 413 pp., [33 Contents], 1 frontispiece steel engraving, 1 folding plan of al-Ka’ba, bookplate of Dampierre on endpapers, contemporary full calf, title gilt on raised decorated spine, marbled endpapers and outer edges, foxing, light edge wear to covers, reference small sticker at top spine, otherwise set in good condition, Wetsteins & Smith, Amsterdam, first edition, 1732.

Synopsis

First edition. The French scholar, Jean Gagnier was professor of Oriental languages in Oxford and the predecessor of Edward Pocock. In 1723, already he published the life of the Prophet by Isma’il Abu al-Fida [ Balanga p. 142] in Arabic and Latin. As most of his contemporaries could read neither Arabic nor Latin, they impressed upon Gagnier to publish a French language version of the description of the life of the Prophet. He published this work nine years later in a completely newly designed version.
The historical biography which is really excellent, describes the life of the Prophet with all its fables and wonders. For the first time, the author used good, albeit more recent source material and quotes the Arab authors for the most part word by word. His translations are brilliant and for many years his book was held to be the best biography of the Prophet. Many later authors made references to it.
Bibliographic references: Enay 33. Chauvin XI, pp. 4-7; Gay 3619; Brunet 28000; Silvester de Sacy 1438.