A NEW HISTORY OF ETHIOPIA: BEING A FULL AND ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE KINGDOM OF ABESSINIA, VULGARLY, THOUGH ERRONEOUSLY CALLED THE KINGDOM OF PRESTER JOHN: IN FOUR BOOKS
London: Printed for Samuel Smith Bookseller, at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-yard, 1684. Second Edition. Leather-bound. Full brown panel calf, (13 1/4 in. x 8 3/4 in.)with inner panels bordered in blind, and leading edge in gilt roll. Rebacked in smooth calf, with five raised bands (six compartments), and two contrasting spine labels of burgundy lettered in gilt (one the title ("History of Ethiopia") and the second erroneously labeled (as-if author) "Prester/John."
Publication date blind-stamped to bottom compartment. Considerable scuffing to both boards, and rubbing to extremities but (now) quite sturdily bound. Replacement (with rebacking, we presume) endpapers, front and rear. Textblock lightly age-tanned but pages clear, large readable type, wide margins, and the thick, laid paper, quite supple.[38], 88 pp, 151-370pp, 375-398. Eight foldouts, seven of which are illustrations One single-page copper plate illustration. A single page chart of the Ethiopic language and a foldout "Genealogic Table of The Kings of Habessinia Missing large folding map, quite often the case with this title. Pagination is occasionally irregular, text divided into four books and complete. Good Plus. Item #88161
Wherein are contained: I. An account of the Nature, Quality and Condition of the Country, and Inhabitants; their Mountains, Metals and Minerals; their Rivers (particularly of the source. of the Nile and Niger;) their Birds, Beasts, Amphibious Animals (as the River Horse and Crocodile;) Serpents, &c. II. Their Political Government; the Genealogy and Succession of their Kings; a Description of their Court, and Camp; their Power and Military Discipline; their Courts of Justice, &c. III. Their Ecclesiastical Affairs; their Conversion to the Christian Religion, and the Propagation thereof, their Sacred Writings, their Sacraments, Rites, Ceremonies, and Church Discipline; the decrease of the Romish Religion, their Contentions with the Jesuits, their Separation from the Greek Church, etc. IV. Their private Oeconomy, their Books and Learning; their common Names, their Diet, Marriages, and Polygamies; their Mechanick Arts and Trades; their Burials, their Merchandize and Commerce, &c.
Price: $1,000.00