200 - [Levant]. SILVESTRE DE SACY, Antoine-Isaac.

[Levant]. SILVESTRE DE SACY, Antoine-Isaac. An Account of the Druze Religion, Drawn from the Religious Texts of That Sect Paris, Imprimerie Royale, 1838. 2 volumes, 8vo, DXXVII-(1)-234 pp. and (2) ff., 708 pp. Early 20th-century red half-maroquin binding, ribbed spine, title and volume number in gold, speckled edges, original blue cover preserved [Louis Marchand] (some foxing and oxidation). First edition of one of Silvestre de Sacy’s major works on Druze origins and doctrines, based on the study of Arabic sources resulting from the research of the famous Orientalist philologist. A fine copy of this sought-after edition, which is rarely seen on the market. Emerging from a dissident branch of Ismailism that arose under the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim (996–1021), the Druze religion became an autonomous religious community that even diverged from Shi’ite Islam. Silvestre de Sacy based his research, beginning in 1790, on their sacred texts, notably the writings of Hamza and al-Muqtana. It includes a substantial introduction and a section on the life of Caliph Hakem-Biamer-Allah at the beginning of Volume I. The text is primarily in French with some Arabic passages. A leading figure in the development of Oriental studies in France, Silvestre de Sacy (1758–1838) became a professor of Arabic at the School of Modern Oriental Languages in 1796, before holding the chair of Persian at the Collège de France. Appointed director in 1824, he served as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and even translated the Bulletins of the Grande Armée into Arabic, which were also distributed in Turkish. Atabey, II, [1134]. Not listed in Blackmer.