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The best Malayan grammar, with 89 pages of Malay texts with translations

MARSDEN, William.
A grammar of the Malayan language, with an introduction and praxis.
London, printed for the author by Cox and Baylis, sold by Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme and Brown, and by Black, Parry and Co., booksellers to the British East India Company, 1812. 4to. Set in roman and Arabic types with incidental italic. Modern dark green cloth. [1], [1 blank], L, [2], 225, [1 blank] pp.
€ 1,500
First edition of Marsden's excellent Malay grammar, which quickly succeeded all earlier grammars and set the standard for those that followed. After the author's 50-page introduction, discussing the previous literature, the language and the situation in the East Indies, he provides a table showing the Malay alphabet, giving the stand-alone form in the Arabic script, the phonetic equivalent, the name of the letter in the Arabic and the phonetic Latin script. The last 89 pages provide sample Malay texts in the Arabic script, each followed by an English translation. These were intended as examples to help students learn the language, but they are now also of value for preserving the Malay texts and providing a translation.
With the title-page slightly foxed, but otherwise in very good condition, with only an occasional minor marginal defect, and with large margins. A landmark of European Malay scholarship and of the British East India Company's relations with Malayans. Cordier, Bibl. Indosinica, col. 1405.
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Related Subjects:

Asia  >  Southeast Asia
Book history, education, learning & printing  >  Dictionaries & Textbooks
Middle east & islamic world  >  South and Southeast Asia