[Armenia]. [Typography]. MARCEL (Jean-Joseph), ed. Specimen - Lot 177

[Armenia]. [Typography]. MARCEL (Jean-Joseph), ed. Specimen armenum. Paris, Renouard, Dondey Dupré, Merlin, 1829. In-8, 101 p. (last blank numbered 94), text in a woodcut typographical frame, midnight blue half-basin, smooth spine, gilt author, title and fillets (covers and edges rubbed, sporadic russeting, very light halos at foot of pages; last quire is 3 f. perhaps one leaf missing). A rare and curious publication that highlights the typography of the Armenian language. The author, J.J. Marcel (1776-1854), printer and orientalist, followed Napoleon Bonaparte to Egypt from 1798 to 1801 and ran his printing works under the names: "Imprimerie nationale"; "Imprimerie de l'armée navale"; "Imprimerie orientale et française". In January 1803, he was appointed director of the Imprimerie de la République, which became the Imprimerie Impériale in May 1804 and the Imprimerie Royale after Napoleon I's first abdication on April 4, 1814; J.-J. Marcel ceased his activity at the end of 1814. He published numerous works on oriental languages and civilizations, as well as translations of Arabic, and founded the Société asiatique de Paris in 1821. Provenance: Antoine Cabaton (1863-1842), philologist (repeated stamp dated May 15, 1884; he probably commissioned the binding, as indicated by a handwritten note "ce livre a été relié le 15 août 1886", probably in his own hand); Frédéric Macler (autogr. signature dated 1906 and bookplate).