(MENAFN- TRACCS) Rare book seller Peter Harrington’s exceptional selection showcases the earliest appearance of Arabic printed words within one of the most sumptuously produced 15th-century books, Colonna’s Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, as well as the exceedingly rare first Arabic dictionary to be printed in the Arab world, the Vocabulaire français-arabe, printed in Cairo in 1798.
The exhibit of 100 items includes other rare treasures such as a 16th-century jewel-like miniature Qu’ran painstakingly hand-written in microscopic ghubari script, a very striking hand-gilded copy of the family tree of the prophet Muhammad, and a copy of one of the great giant woodcuts of the European Renaissance – The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I, made out of paper.
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MAY 2023: Leading London-based rare book dealer Peter Harrington once again offers an exceptional selection of works at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair , bringing together highly collectable books that trace the history and significance of Arabic as a world language. These are showcased alongside scarce copies of books, maps, official publications, guides and reports that document and contextualise key moments in the Arabian Gulf’s prominent rise on the world stage in the 20th century, following the rapid expansion of its oil industry and the emergence of its modern nation states.
The selection of 100 exceptional treasures which are on display at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair from May 22 - 28, has been curated to appeal to the region’s growing community of rare book collectors which include both, private individuals as well as discerning institutional holdings and regional museum collections.
“We have one of the earliest books ever printed in the world in our exhibit this year – the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, published within the first 100 years of the invention of printing and considered to be the most beautiful, illustrated book of the European Renaissance. It features the very first published appearance of Arabic words anywhere in the world, two of the three inscriptions accompanied by beautiful woodcuts. It additionally honours Arabic as one of the world’s four sacred languages alongside Greek, Roman and Hebrew. It is a book that would take pride of place in any Middle Eastern Museum collection, not just for its aesthetic beauty but for its historical significance,” says Pom Harrington, owner of the rare book seller Peter Harrington.
“There are other unusual inclusions that marry the elements of interesting book production with notable historical events. One example is a book by Albrecht Dürer that can be disbound and re-assembled as a gigantic wall print measuring approximately 11 x 9 feet. The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I have a very curious story of creation. The Hapsburg emperor Maximilian I had insufficient funds to hold a triumphal procession or erect an arch in stone, so he guaranteed his place in the imperial Roman tradition through the truly monumental scale of this triumphal arch on paper. It is one of the great giant woodcuts of the European Renaissance, printed from the original 16th-century blocks, now preserved at the Albertina Museum in Vienna.”
OTHER CATALOGUE HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
● A complete jewel-like illuminated miniature Qur'an with gilt copper case, with the text painstakingly copied in a micrographic ghubari script by a scribe working in Safavid Persia at the beginning of the 16th century – £30,000
● The Shajarah al-sharīfah, literally meaning The Noble Tree – a very striking family tree of the prophet Muhammad, embellished with hand-painted gilt decoration and presented in an extremely unusual contemporary binding – £7,500
● First editions of two foundational grammars by Thomas Erpenius instrumental in the western study of Arabic, from the library of Pierre Dippy, Maronite dragoman to King Louis XIV of France and former chair of Arabic and Syriac at the Collège Royal in Paris – £9,750
● The exceedingly rare first Arabic dictionary printed in the Arab world, Jean-Joseph Marcel’s Vocabulaire français-arabe, printed in Cairo 1798 to aid Napoleon’s efforts – £37,500
● Rare first edition of one of the very first grammars in a local Arabic dialect, Muhammad Abduh Ghanem’s Aden Arabic for Beginners – £1,250
● The Oil Forum Map of Near and Middle East Oil, by Brian Orchard Lisle, a flamboyant and well-known oil trade insider and founder of The Oil Forum, an industry-leading magazine . This extremely rare, genuinely imposing and highly attractive late 1950s map showcases the petroleum industry across the Middle East and adjacent regions – £14,500
● A rare and attractively produced document created in response to the invitation for a Traffic Department headquarters design by HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Butti al Hamed, Chair of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Public Works, issued by one of the leading engineering companies working in the UAE during its formative years – £6,000
● The f irst and only edition of a handsomely illustrated publication, produced in conjunction with the 1976 conference on falconry hosted by HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan – £2,250
● Arabian Gulf Reports, an important primary source for a critical period for British relations in the Gulf under the consummate diplomacy of Sir Percy Cox. The volume for 1902–3 includes the earliest account of Cox’s important trek from Abu Dhabi to Muscat via the Buraimi Oasis – £67,500
The Abu Dhabi 2023 exhibit is presented in two sections – the first with material relating to the Islamic and Arabic speaking world as noted above, and the second with highlights of Western literature. These include:
● The monumental 17th-century Dell’arcano del Mare by Robert Dudley, the first sea atlas of the entire world and the first printed nautical atlas to include regions outside of Europe – £950,000
● A very rare first edition of Pedro de Medina’s great navigational treatise Regimiento de navegacion, which featured directions for setting sail to America. Francis Drake carried a copy during his circumnavigation of the globe – £225,000
● A first edition of William Brodrick’s Falconers’ Favourites, a superb work featuring stunning plates of falcons in their habitat – £7,500
● Peter Harrington has been a regular exhibitor at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair since 2016, confirming a strong commitment to the Middle Eastern market which comprises around 10% of its international sales.
The UAE accounts for the largest share of Peter Harrington’s Middle East business, complemented by a growing collector community in Saudi Arabia and other GCC states. Recent acquisitions by regional collectors range from individual books valued in the early thousands to curated collections that reach over several million dirhams.
Works related to the region as well as pioneering Western publications on a variety of subject matters ranging from evolution to economic theory continue to find favour with regional buyers, with institutional acquisitions leading the demand for rare works in niche subject matters and scarce copies of reports and other books of record relating to the early nation- building years of the Gulf states.
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