Antiquarian book - VERY RARE -1787 - The Hunt, poem by Oppian & the great History of Animals

RARE FIND
La chasse, poëme d'Oppien avec des remarques: suivi d'un extrait de la grande Histoire des Animaux - 1787 - first edition.

With Ex libris Henrici Petit Equitis Doct. Med. Suessionaei",

Publisher: Strasbourg, the Academic Library, 1787. 155-224 pp. + extract from: New mixtures of Greek poetry, to which English literature has been added. Amsterdam and Paris, 1779.

The Hunt, originally written by Oppian (also SYRIA or PSEUDO-OPPIAN) translation by Jacques Nicolas Belin de Ballu (1753-1815):

This copy is the third French translation of Oppian's " ", the previous ones appearing in 1575 and 1690 respectively. This ancient poem on hunting was previously attributed to the same Oppian, an ancient Greek writer from Cilicia, who wrote a poem on fishermen called " ". Research has shown that the present work has a different author, probably from Apamea in Syria. His name is not known, but he is usually called Pseudo-Oppian or Oppian of Syria. The "Cynegetica" is written in the same form as "Halieutika", so the author was clearly familiar with that work. It is uncertain when the work was written, but it was probably around 215 AD. The translator of the "Cynegetica", Jacques Nicolas Belin de Ballu (1753-1815), was a well-known professor of ancient languages in Bordeaux and became an associate member of the Académie des inscriptions et belles-lettres in 1787. Later he emigrated to Russia and became a professor of Greek in St. Petersburg.

The Great History of the Animals, originally written by Al-Damiri (also known as KAMAL AL-DIN MUHAMMAD IBN MUSA):

The second text, presented as "The Great History of Animals", is a translation of fragments from "Hayat al-hayawan", usually translated as "The Life of Animals" by the Cairo-based scholar Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Musa al-Damiri (1341–1405). Al-Damiri's translation is an early work by the noted orientalist Antoine Isaac Silvestre de Sacy (1758–1838). On the title page, Belin de Ballu is listed as "conseiller a la cour des monnoies", a position also held by Silvestre de Sacy from 1781 onwards.

Ex libris:

Combined ex libris (textual and figurative 42 x 47 mm), black ink. Coat of arms and inscription: Ex libris Henrici Petit Equitis Doct. Med. Suessionaei".

Henri Petit, doctor of medicine. Eternal secretary of the Academy of Soissons. Son of François Petit, also doctor of the city of Soisson. The Academy of Soissons was a French learned society, born in 1674 from a literary society that held its meetings in this city. It was suppressed, like the other academies, in 1793 by the National Convention.

The book is in good condition with signs of age and use, especially on the cover and spine of the book. The interior is good to very good, one footnote in pencil in preface. Virtually no foxing or damage, only on the last pages minor damage from silverfish. See photos, these are part of the description.

Please note: In some cases, this lot will be shipped to a drop-off point near the buyer. This is to ensure correct delivery. The buyer will be notified of this by the seller and by the carrier.