«Merge Record #»«Title» - Schulz-Falster Rare Books

Werner Schneider, Christian Thomasius. Interpretationen zu Werk und Wirkung. Mit
einer Bibliographie zur neueren Thomasius Literatur. 1989 (Studien zum achtzehnten
Jahrhundert, 11).
79.
[TYPE SPECIMEN.] Preces Sancti Nersetis Clajensis Armeniorum
Patriarchae, vingti quatuor linguis editae. Venice, Mekhitarist Press,
San Lazaro, 1837. £ 400
12mo, pp. [iv], 432, [2], engraved frontispiece and title, medallion
ornaments at head of dedication page; finely printed throughout;
original dark green roan, elaborate gilt ornamentation to sides and spine,
gilt-lettered green spine label; a.e.g.; a fine copy.
Second edition (first 1823) of Saint Nerses' famous 'In faith I Confess' prayers printed
in twenty-four languages and the appropriate typefaces, amongst them Armenian,
Greek, Russian, Gothic, Illyrian, Turkish, Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, Chaldaean, Syriac
and Iberian. English, French, Irish, Spanish, Dutch, Hungarian, Latin and Swedish
versions are given in roman type. Because of the wide range of typefaces used, it also
serves as a type specimen of the Mekhitarist Press. The work was printed by the
Mekhitarist Congregation on the Venetian island of San Lazzaro, the foremost centre
of Armenian culture.
St. Nerses (d. 1173) was the most important Armenian writer of the twelfth century
and the head of the Armenian church. This edition of his prayers was edited by
Father Paschal (i.e. Haroutiun Aukerian, 1774-1827) who was admired by Lord
Byron, who famously rowed out to the island of San Lazarus daily to take Armenian
lessons and use the famous library.
Earlier polyglot editions of his prayers had been printed in 1810 and 1811, but with
fewer languages and typefaces. Further expanded editions appeared later.
V. Nersessian, Catalogue of Early Armenian Books 1512-1850, 510; see Birrell &
Garnett 30 for 1823 edition.
80.
VERRI, Pietro. Discorsi del Conte Pietro Verri dell'Instituto delle
Scienze di Bologna Sull'Indole del Piacere e del Dolore; Sulla Felicità
e sulla Economia Politica. Riveduti ed accresciuti dall'Autore. Milan,
Giuseppe Marelli, 1781. £ 1400
Tall 8vo, pp. [xviii], 100, [5], 102-183, [10], 186-394; portrait medallion
vignette to title page, divisional titles and preliminaries not included in
the pagination; contemporary half calf, over marbled boards, spine ruled
in gilt with gilt-lettered spine label; some surface wear to marbled paper;
a very good wide-margined copy.