Pierre-Martial CIBOT
Lettre de Pékin, sur le génie de la langue chinoise, et la nature de leur écriture symbolique, comparée avec celle des anciens Egyptiens ; en réponse à celle de la Société royale des sciences de Londres, sur le même sujet : on y a joint l'extrait de deux ouvrages nouveaux de Mr. de Guignes, de l'Académie des Inscriptions & Belles-Lettres de Paris, relatifs aux mêmes matières. Par un père de la Compagnie de Jésus, missionnaire à Pékin[Letter from Peking, on the Genius of the Chinese Language and the Nature of Their Symbolic Writing, Compared with That of the Ancient Egyptians; in Reply to that of the Royal Society of Sciences of London on the Same Subject: to which is added an Extract from Two New Works by Mr. de Guignes, of the Académie des Inscriptions & Belles-Lettres of Paris, Relating to the Same Matters. By a Father of the Society of Jesus, Missionary in Peking]
J. L. de Boubers|Brussels 1773|19.6 x 23.5 cm|Relié
First edition, illustrated at the end of the volume with 28 hors-texte plates of Chinese ideograms (cf. Cordier, Sinica, 1735-36; Backer & Sommervogel II, 1168 (2)).
The table of plates lists 27; Backer records 29; our copy contains 28, whereas most copies indeed call for 27.
Modern half fawn calf, smooth spine ruled in gilt with double fillets and gilt floral tools, brown speckled paper-covered boards, speckled top edge. The sole edition of a work thoroughly informed on the ideogrammatic origins of Chinese characters, thereby contradicting the thesis advanced by the English orientalist Needham concerning the supposed analogy between Chinese writing and the Egyptian...
€1,200