Details
[BERNONVILLE, P. DE]. Nouvelle découverte d'une langue universelle, pour les négocians, et le secret de lire l'hebreu sans points. Avec une Grammaire raisonnée pour l'apprendre en peu de jours, &t même en très peu d'heures.
Paris: Charles Fosset, 1687.
8 a4 A-E6. 42 leaves. Roman, italic and Hebrew type, 2 emblematic engraved plates, pasted down (on leaves included in the signatures), the second engraving with manuscript captions in a contemporary hand, both with a hand-ruled border in ink.
12mo, 153 x 90 mm. (6 x 3 1/2 in.), stab-stitched in early plain blue wrappers, spine shot, eighteenth century manuscript title lettered on upper wrapper, old paper library label on upper wrapper, edges slightly creased and soiled, a few small stains, the first plate cut round irregularly with slight loss to image.
FIRST (AND ONLY) EDITION.
A "portable" Hebrew grammar written by a jesuit priest from Blois, who considered Hebrew to be the ideal universal language, as of all languages the most "concise, spiritual, and intelligible in its simplicity" (Avertissement, p. 10). In his dedication to the Duc de Bourgogne (still a child at the time), Bernonville expresses the conviction that the study of Hebrew, "the key to the mysteries of our Ancient Patriarchs," will not only be useful to merchants in the Levant but might "open the door of Christian Truth to the Jews... and maybe even to the Turks, by rendering us more humane and putting a stop to the cruel rage that peoples hold against each other, for which they often use Religion as a false pretext." Bernonville had hoped to publish a continuation of this work (described as "Part 1" at end) but he lacked sufficient funds and none was published.
Paris: Charles Fosset, 1687.
8 a4 A-E6. 42 leaves. Roman, italic and Hebrew type, 2 emblematic engraved plates, pasted down (on leaves included in the signatures), the second engraving with manuscript captions in a contemporary hand, both with a hand-ruled border in ink.
12mo, 153 x 90 mm. (6 x 3 1/2 in.), stab-stitched in early plain blue wrappers, spine shot, eighteenth century manuscript title lettered on upper wrapper, old paper library label on upper wrapper, edges slightly creased and soiled, a few small stains, the first plate cut round irregularly with slight loss to image.
FIRST (AND ONLY) EDITION.
A "portable" Hebrew grammar written by a jesuit priest from Blois, who considered Hebrew to be the ideal universal language, as of all languages the most "concise, spiritual, and intelligible in its simplicity" (Avertissement, p. 10). In his dedication to the Duc de Bourgogne (still a child at the time), Bernonville expresses the conviction that the study of Hebrew, "the key to the mysteries of our Ancient Patriarchs," will not only be useful to merchants in the Levant but might "open the door of Christian Truth to the Jews... and maybe even to the Turks, by rendering us more humane and putting a stop to the cruel rage that peoples hold against each other, for which they often use Religion as a false pretext." Bernonville had hoped to publish a continuation of this work (described as "Part 1" at end) but he lacked sufficient funds and none was published.
Provenance
Unidentified nineteenth century woodcut bookplate, mongram "AM," motto "Veritas omnia vincit;" numerous underlinings and marginal note in pencil.