Gulistan ou L'Empire des roses, Traité des Moeurs des Rois composé par Musladini Saadi, princes des Poetes Persiens. Traduit du persan par M. ***

Rare first edition of d'Alègre’s French translation (cf. Brunet V, 25. Barbier II, 596.)

Contemporary full marbled calf, spine in five raised bands richly gilt in compartments with floral tools, red shagreen lettering-piece, marbled endpapers, gilt fillets to board edges now almost rubbed away, red-speckled edges, contemporary binding.

Restorations to spine and joints, marginal dampstain at the foot of about ten leaves, annotations and a pen drawing on a flyleaf.

This is the second translation of this masterpiece by the Persian poet and philosopher Saadi, one of the great Sufi masters of the thirteenth century.

The first, by André Du Ryer, dates from 1634.

It corresponds only to part of the Golestân, but introduced Persian poetry to the West.

Approved by Fontenelle, d'Alègre’s translation, likewise partial, concerns the first of the seven treatises, that relating to the manners of kings.

Contemporary manuscript ownership inscription at the end of the volume, dated Paris, 23 June 1798 (Clément Lemoine, wigmaker).