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Interesting work on the history of the Ottoman Empire, translated into many languages

RICAUT, Paul (or RYCAUT).
Histoire de l'etat present de l'empire Ottoman: contenant les maximes politiques des Turcs; les principaux points de la religion Mahometane, ses sectes, ses héresies & ses diverses sortes de religieux; leur discipline militaire, avec une supputation exacte de leurs forces par mer & par terre & du revenu de l'etat. Traduit de l'Anglois... par Monsieur Briot.

With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text.

With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text.

With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text.

With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text.

With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text.



Amsterdam, Abraham Wolfgank, 1670. 12mo. Contemporary red morocco, spine richly and charmingly gilt in compartments with brown morocco title label lettered in gold, triple gilt filet on covers, gilt edges and inner dentelles. With beautiful engraved frontispiece of a historic scene of the Sultan receiving ambassadors with Constantinople in the background, 18 fine engraved folding illustrations of typical Ottoman characters and their costumes, one woodcut illustration of a turban in text. 498, (6) pp.

Second edition of the French translation by Pierre Briot (1660-1709) of the work entitled Present state of the Ottoman Empire (published 1666, post-dated 1667) written by Sir Paul Ricaut, Rycaut or Rycault (1628-1700). This work is "le meilleur que l'on eût alors sur la Turquie, et il se lit encore avec intêrét"(Willems). The first English edition was, according to the Journal of Samuel Pepys, quoted by the BLC, almost entirely destroyed during the great fire of London. A second edition was published in 1668. The first French edition was published in 4to in Paris in the same year as our edition. The work was soon also translated into Italian, German, Polish, Russian. A Dutch translation was published in the same year, 1670 and by the same publisher, Abraham Wolfgank. In 1677 appeared another French translation by Sieur Bespier. Ricaut's work is an analysis of the structure of Ottoman government and society, containing a particular description of the Mahometan religion, the seraglio, the maritime and land forces of Turkey. The 18 plates are all very fine and detailed, one representing Sultan Mahomet Han, emperor of Turkey in 1670, another the carrier of the tulban and the page of l'Hasoda in their costumes, another representing midgets and mutes who were very popular at the Ottoman court, another representing the superintendent of the gardens and fountains of the Emperor, and another representing the costumes of the women in Constantinople.
Ricaut was an English diplomate who went to Constantinople in 1661 as private secretary to Heneage Finch, third Earl of Winchelsea, who had been appointed ambassador to the Porte. He published in 1663, in his official capacity, the articles of the treaty of peace between England and the Porte. In 1667 he was given the post of consul in Smyrna, where he remained for 11 years.  Ricaut's work is nowadays still of great interest to historians; several books have been written about it. Some say that Ricaut's work is superficial and erroneous, but others are of the opinion that careful reading of his book shows that Ricaut distorted the image of the Ottoman Empire to criticize his own society, and suggested that the Ottoman Empire and England were not quite as different as is usually thought.

Very good copy in a beautiful red morocco binding with the ex-libris of the Bibliothèque Am. Berton pasted on verso of frontcover.
Chadenat 6409, 4942, 428 (first French ed.), 5605 (later ed.), 5850 (Italian ed.); Hage Chahine, Guide Levant, 4192; Blackmer, 1464 (ed. of 1671, second issue); Atabey, 1069; Rahir, Les Elzevier & divers typographes Hollandais, 2488; Willems, 1872; Lowndes p. 2160 (mentions only translation of Bespier).

Related Subjects: Cartography  Costumes  Militaria  Religion  Turkey 

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