188 - [Arabia]. RELAND, Adriaan.

[Arabia]. RELAND, Adriaan. The Religion of the Muslims, as Explained by Their Own Scholars, with Clarifications on the Opinions Falsely Attributed to Them. The Hague, Isaac Vaillant, 1721. In-12, CCVII-(1)-317 pp. Contemporary mottled fawn sheepskin, decorated ribbed spine, fawn title label, gilded interlaced panels, mottled edges (corners and mouthings worn, capitals missing, a tear without loss on the plate of Mecca). ?French first edition based on the Latin edition, *De religione Mohammedica*, of 1705. By Adriaan Reland (1676–1718), a Dutch Orientalist theologian, philologist, and cartographer who drew notably on his own collection of manuscripts. Through a work that was innovative in its objectivity and its rejection of criticism, he contributed to a better understanding of Islam and Arab culture. Engraved in black on copper, the illustration consists of a beautiful frontispiece title page by Goeree, a vignette on the title page, and four plates—three of which are fold-outs—depicting a view of Mecca, a view of the Hagia Sophia, and a genealogical chart. Two copies are listed in the CCFr, the BnF, and the Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal. Not listed in Blackmer. Atabey, 1024. Quérard VII, 515.