A COPY OF NASIR AL-DIN TUSI'S COMMENTARY ON EUCLID'S ELEMENTS

PRINTED IN FES, ALAWI MOROCCO, DATED 13 SHAWWAL AH 1293/1 NOVEMBER 1876 AD

Details

A COPY OF NASIR AL-DIN TUSI'S COMMENTARY ON EUCLID'S ELEMENTS
PRINTED IN FES, ALAWI MOROCCO, DATED 13 SHAWWAL AH 1293/1 NOVEMBER 1876 AD
In two volumes, lithograph on thick paper, 227ff. plus 2 modern fly-leaves and 230ff. plus 2 modern fly-leaves, each with 19ll. of maghribi script, within double rules, catchwords, numerous diagrams, printed in al-'Amira press, colophon with name of Sultan Moulay Hassan, in modern brown and red morocco binding
Folio 8 3/8 x 6 5/8in. (21.2 x 16.7cm.) (2)

Lot Essay

The first lithographic press of Morocco was created in 1865 in Meknes and was then transferred to Fes, apparently that same year. The press was very active and published more than 400 works in 50 years, mostly on religion, language, law or literature (L'art du livre arabe, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2001, p.172-74). This Commentary on Euclid's Elements dated 1876 is therefore a rare and early example of the Fasi production of printed books.
Unlike typography with movable types, lithography allowed maghribi script to be used in North Africa and to retain its specific character against the more widely used typography in naskh script.

Another copy of this book sold in Christie's South Kensington, 7 October 2011, lot 103.

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