Rare first edition of the illustrated French translation, complete with two folding maps of Northern Asia, one showing the region at the time of the conquests of Genghis Khan (or Zingis-Chan), the other representing the contemporary state of Asia (cf. Brunet, I, 19; Chadenat, 1782).
Translated from the Tartar manuscript of Abulgasi-Bayadur-Chan and enriched with a large number of authentic and highly curious remarks on the true present state of Northern Asia, together with the necessary geographical maps. By D***. Leiden, Abram Kallewier, 1726.
Contemporary full brown calf bindings, spines with five raised bands highlighted by gilt rules and decorated with gilt compartments filled with floral tools, red and brown morocco lettering and volume labels, gilt rolls to the headcaps, boards framed with a single blind fillet, marbled paper endpapers and pastedowns, gilt fillets to the board edges, red edges; bindings of the period.
Small paper losses to the title pages, filled and neatly restored with paper.
Contents comprise: 1. History of the generations of the Tatars from Adam to Mogull or Mung’l-Chan. – 2. History of the generations of the Tatars from Mung’l-Chan to Zingis-Chan. – 3. History of the reign of Zingis-Chan. – 4. History of Ugadai-Chan, third son of Zingis-Chan. – 5. History of Zagatai-Chan, second son of Zingis-Chan, and of the princes of his posterity who ruled over the cities of the kingdoms of Cashgar and Ma-urenner. – 6. History of Taulai-Chan, youngest son of Zingis-Chan, and of his descendants who ruled in the land of Iran. – 7. History of Zuzi-Chan, eldest son of Zingis-Chan, and of his descendants who ruled over the Kipchaks. – 8. History of Scheybani-Chan, son of Zuzi-Chan, and of his descendants who ruled in the land of Ma-urenner, in Crimea, and in the country of Turan. – 9. History of the descendants of Scheybani-Chan who ruled in the land of Charass’m.
Khan of Khwarezm (situated south of Turkestan) and descendant of Genghis Khan, Abulghasi Behader (or Bahadür) was born in 1605 at Urgench (Khwarezm); he ascended the throne in 1644 and abdicated shortly before his death in 1663.
After his abdication, he composed a genealogical history of the Tatars in Tatar, which was first translated into Russian and then into German by Swedish officers exiled to Siberia after the battle of Pultava.
The original text was not printed at Kazan until 1825 under the title Historia Mongolorum et Tatarorum.