Published by 1918, 1918
Seller: Charlotte Du Rietz Rare Books (ILAB), Stockholm, Sweden
First Edition
4to. Pp. (ii), viii, 352. Contemporary half calf on marbled boards, spine decorated in gilt, rubbed along edges. Original printed wrappers withbound Bookplate. Marbled endpapers. Some minor browning to the paper. First Swedish edition of Sa'di's famous poetry work Bustan (The Orchard) completed in 1257. Limited to 440 copies, of which this is no. 290. Bustan comprises ten chapters and is entirely written in verse. Eric Hermelin (1860-1944), a Swedish author and prolific translator of Persian works.
Published by Bombay, In the Printing House Heydari., 1875
Seller: Inanna Rare Books Ltd., Skibbereen, CORK, Ireland
Octavo. 252 pages. Hardcover / Contemporary 19th century half leather with marbled paper-covered boards. It is clear from three consecutive little wholes to the bookblock that this version of the Rose Garden was previously bound as a blockbook and rebound in 19th century boards. First 9 and last 7 pages with a faded stain, possibly from the glue of a former wrapper. Otherwise in very good condition with only minor signs of external wear. Some occasional manuscript notes in pencil in english. The Gulistan (also transliterated as Golestan "The Rose Garden") is a landmark of Persian literature, perhaps its single most influential work of prose. Written in 1258 CE, it is one of two major works of the Persian poet Sa'di, considered one of the greatest medieval Persian poets. It is also one of his most popular books, and has proved deeply influential in the West as well as the East. The Gulistan is a collection of poems and stories, just as a rose-garden is a collection of roses. It is widely quoted as a source of wisdom. The well-known aphorism still frequently repeated in the western world, about being sad because one has no shoes until one meets the man who has no feet "whereupon I thanked Providence for its bounty to myself" is from the Gulistan. The minimalist plots of the Gulistan's stories are expressed with precise language and psychological insight, creating a "poetry of ideas" with the concision of mathematical formulas. The book explores virtually every major issue faced by humankind, with both an optimistic and a subtly satirical tone. There is much advice for rulers, in this way coming within the mirror for princes genre. But as Eastwick comments in his introduction to the work, there is a common saying in Persian, "Each word of Sa'di has seventy-two meanings", and the stories, alongside their entertainment value and practical and moral dimension, frequently focus on the conduct of dervishes and are said to contain sufi teachings. (Wikipedia) Sprache: persian / farsi.
Published by undated [pre-1800]., [Persia],, 1800
Seller: Jeff Weber Rare Books, Montreux, VAUD, Switzerland
First Edition Signed
[Persia],: undated [pre-1800]., 1800. 11.25 x 7.5 inches. [ca. 228 leaves] Written mostly in old Farsi, with some Arabic marginal notes. With one leaf [f. 66] illuminated on upper quadrant, another 2 leaves with a penciled sketch where an illumination was planned but never completed [ff. 108, 170]. There are numerous decorative motifs of flowers throughout the manuscript. Each leaf is variously partitioned, perhaps suggestive of a garden[!], in this case with flowers adorning most leaves. Binding style suggests 18-19th centuries. Bound in Islamic style, Ottoman period, full Turkey morocco, with elaborate gilt rule, corner and centre ornamental flourishes, with leather flap; some minor repairs to the sides of the binding are evident when examined closely. MANUSCRIPT OF SAADI' GOLESTAN THE GREAT PERSIAN POET: ORIGINAL COMPLETE MANUSCRIPT OF ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF ALL PERSIAN POETS, SA'ADI OF SHIRAZI. The calligraphic style and the binding are suggestive of the 16th or 17th century. This piece is embellished with numerous leaves, many of which are decorated by hand with small compartments of flowers, each realized from the title of Sa'adi's Gulistan [Golestan], Flower Garden of Sa'adi. Sa'adi is "probably the single most influential work of prose in the Persian tradition, completed in 1258 by Mosarref-al-Din Mole, known as Shaikh Sa'di of Shiraz." âÂÂ" Encyclopaedia Iranica. / The manuscript is mixed with both poetry and stories or narratives along with a moral, as well as some commentaries. / PROVENANCE: Signed Kiffin Yates Rockwell (1892âÂÂ"1916) [later label of: Kiffin Ayres Rockwell], Beloit, Wisconsin, June 28, 1942. Kiffin Yates Rockwell was a World War I fighter pilot and the first American to shoot down an enemy aircraft in WWI. He shot down a German pilot. Thus the manuscript is clearly in the United States and kept there since before 1942. "Kiffin Yates Rockwell, the youngest son of James Chester and Loula Ayres Rockwell." [see below]. What may clear up some confusion here is that there are at least two persons with this name and there may be three. Kiffin Ayres Rockwell, II or III (Oct. 8, 1917-Jan. 27, 1998), who served in the air force in Korea, is buried in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Sa'adi opens with poems of Sa'eb of Tabriz, a Safavid poet of Indian style of poetry, added to the text. "Back of the shell, kingly gems are orphans.".