Oriental linguistics. VOLNEY, Constantin-Francois de Chasseboeuf. Simplification des langues orientales, ou méthode nouvelle et facile. D'apprendre les langues arabe, persane et turque, avec des caractères européens. Paris, Imprimerie de la République, An III (1795)

8vo, 213x134 mm; binding in boards; Pp. [4], 136, [3]. Text in French, round and italic type. 4 plates engraved out text, of which 3 folded. Very nice specimen with wide margins.

First edition of the first Arabic grammar in French. Volney proposes here an alphabet for Eastern and European languages. A philosopher, orientalist and politician, Volney made numerous trips to the East in the eighties years of the XVIII century, where he studied the language and culture of Egypt, Lebanon and Palestine. In the preface of this work he prophesies that the revolutionary shock of Europe would provoke "total subversion of the colonial system of Europe and the liberation of all America".