1802 · Amsterdam & Leipzig
by Societe de gens de lettres
Amsterdam & Leipzig, 1802. [Sale, George (1697-1736) et al.] Histoire universelle depuis le commencement du monde jusqu'à présent. 46 volumes. Plates, maps. Amsterdam & Leipzig: Arkstée & Merkus, 1770-1802. 254 x 200 mm. Quarter calf gilt ca. 1802, occasional rubbing and wear, a few hinges splitting but with all the bindings intact. Minor foxing and uneven toning, but very good. "Nouvelle édition" of the French translation, first published between 1733 and 1751. Originally published in English in 65 volumes between 1736 and 1768, the Universal History, edited by British Orientalist scholar George Sale and others, was one of the first truly universal histories, unifying the history of Western Europe with what was then known about the rest of the world. "Many scholars have noted the egalitarian views behind Sale's Universal History; i.e., its lack of distinction in content, treating each civilization that existed in as much detail as possible. This egalitarian perspective not only manifested itself in the main framework of the book, but also in the selection of sources. Compared with earlier works, the set of books edited by Sale discursively overcame Western-centric and Christian-centric thinking. They not only used the Bible and the records of ancient writers but also absorbed large amounts of information from the Arab world and content from contemporary travel accounts . . .The content of this universal history was different from traditional universal histories . . . [including] information on geography, politics, economy, philosophy, religion, culture, and architecture" (Yibo, pp. 136-137). Sale's work went through several editions in English and was translated into French, German and Italian. Z. Yibo, "The decline of a tradition: The changing fate of George Sale's Universal History and the transformation of modern European historiography," in Wang, Michihiro and Li, eds., Western Historiography in Asia, pp. 129-150. 42715 . (Inventory #: 42715)