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Sprenger, A[loys]. The life of Mohammad from original sources. Allahabad, Presbyterian Mission Press, 1851. ; 1. Ed.
Exceedingly rare Indian-printed work; the English-language nucleus of what was to become the author's chef d'oeuvre (in German) a decade later. It was in the quest for materials for this work that Sprenger travelled extensively in Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia (cf. DNB). From the collection of the orientalist Wilhelm Ahlwardt (1828-1909) with his autogr. ownership to front wrapper. No copy in the Austrian National Library. - The Austrian-born orientalist Aloys Sprenger (1813-93) studied medicine and natural sciences as well as oriental languages at Vienna, receiving tutelage from Hammer-Purgstall but failing to be accepted into the Oriental Academy, open only to the nobility. In 1836 he moved to London, where he worked with the Graf von Münster on the latter's "History of Military Science among the Muslim Peoples", and thence in 1843 to Calcutta. In 1848 he was sent to Lucknow, to prepare a catalogue of the royal library there, the first volume of which appeared in 1854. In 1850 Sprenger was named examiner, official government interpreter, and secretary of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. He published many works while holding this latter position, among them "Dictionary of the Technical terms used in the sciences of the Musulmans" (1854) and "Ibn Hajar's biographical dictionary of persons who knew Mohammed" (1856). Sprenger took a position as professor of oriental languages at the University of Bern in 1857, moving in 1881 to Heidelberg. His voluminous collection of Arabic, Persian, Hindustani and other manuscripts and printed material was eventually acquired by the Prussian State Library in Berlin. Several of his editions remain the standard Received Text. Although never having taught or worked in Austria, Sprenger is considered a typical example of the Austrian school of oriental studies, traditionally aiming for a better understanding of the Middle-Eastern peoples (cf. ÖBL XIII, 49). "Sprenger was not only an ardent and successful book-collector [...] He is said to have acquired a good practical knowledge of no less than twenty-five languages. While in the north of India he was an enthusiastic mountaineer, and, though he did not grapple with the difficult subject of old Arabic geography until he was over sixty, he dealt with it with an insight and acumen that seemed almost instinctive" (DNB). He is remembered as one of the most prominent orientalists of the 19th century. - Of the utmost rarity; no copy in auction records. - Pfannmüller 166, 180 ff. Fück 176 ff. Wurzbach XXXVI, 262. DNB XVIII, 833f.

8vo. 210 pp. Original wrappers.

[KW: Naher Osten: Reisen, Geschichte, Falknerei und Pferde]

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BUCHER, FELIX: Germany. An illustrated guide to the work of over 400 directors, players, technicians and other leading figures in the German cinema. With an index to over 6.000 Films. London/New York, Zwemmer/Barnes [Screen Series], 1970.
(Rücken mit Knickspur, Kanten gering bestoßen, insgesamt gut erhalten)

298 S. m. zahlr. Abb., ill. OKart.

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Rose, Andrew: The collector's all-colour guide to Toy Soldiers. A record of the world's miniature armies: from 1850 to the present day. London, Salamander Books, 1985.
Dust jacket with one tear. Contents clean and unmarked.

127 pp. Green cloth with gilt spine. Illustrated dust jacket. Illustrated throughout in colour with well over 2000 examples of the toy soldier maker's art. Photographic endpapers. Bibliography. 31 x 22 cm.

[KW: Models, Toy Soldiers, Model Soldiers, War Games, Spielzeug, Miniaturfiguren, Miniaturen, Spielzeugfiguren]

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Eppstein, David; Falmagne, Jean C.; Ovchinnikov, Sergei: Media Theory Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics, SPRINGER, BERLIN, ISBN: 3540716963
This book presents a mathematical structure modeling a physical or biological system that can be in any of a number of states. Each state is characterized by a set of binary features, and differs from some other neighbor state or states by just one of those features. The book considers the evolution of such a system over time and analyzes such a structure from algebraic and probabilistic (stochastic) standpoints.

NEUBUCH! 2007. 320 p. w. 60 figs. (some col.). 23,5 cm

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