Recherches asiatiques, ou Mémoires de la Société établie au Bengale. Pour faire des recherches sur l'histoire et les antiquités, les arts, les sciences et la littérature de l'Asie ; ; traduits de l'Anglois par A. Labaume. Revus et augmentés de notes, pour la partie orientale, philologique et historique, par M. Langlès, membre de l'Institut, conservateur des Manuscrits orientaux de la Bibliothèque impériale, &c. ; et pour la partie des Sciences exactes et naturelles, par MM. Cuvier, Delambre, Lamarck et Olivier, membres de l'Institut, etc...

First edition of the French translation by Antoine Gilbert Griffet de La Baume of the first two volumes of "Asiatick researches, or, Transactions of the Society instituted in Bengal for enquiring into the history and antiquities, the arts, sciences and literature of Asia, Calcutta, 1788–1790" (cf. Chadenat 4934).

The first volume, Meteorological Journal kept by Colonel T. D. Pearse from 1785 to 1786, is illustrated with 33 full-page plates; the second, Meteorological Journal kept in Calcutta by Henry Trail from 1785 to 1786, with 11 plates and 2 tables, including one large folding plate.

Modern bindings in black half morocco, flat spines ruled with double gilt fillets, marbled paper boards, hand-marbled endpapers.

Some light foxing, a few restorations to corners (upper or lower) of the second volume.

This remarkable typographical edition features several plates and tables printed in Arabic or Bengali characters, the latter being the first use of this language type in France. Among the essays are: vol. 1: Dissertation on the Spelling of Oriental Words – Account of a Meeting with the Tichou Lama – Report on a Journey to Tibet – Observations on the Sykhs – On Hindu Literature – Conversation about the City of Gondar and the Sources of the Nile – On Ordeal among the Hindus; vol. 2: Discourse on the Arabs, Tartars, and Persians – On the Hebrew Origin of the Afghans – On Hindu Chronology – On the Indian Game of Chess – Introduction of Arabic Words into the Persian Language – On Hindu Astronomical Calculations – Description of the Kingdom of Nepal, etc.

A nephew of the historian and theologian Henri Griffet, Antoine Gilbert Griffet de La Baume (Moulins, 1756 – Paris, 1805) settled in Paris in 1776, where he was briefly employed at the Ministry of the Interior. He went on to translate numerous works from English and German, and contributed to various periodicals including the Bulletin de Littérature, La Décade, Journal Encyclopédique, Mercure de France, and Censeur universel anglais (cf. Hoefer).