380.00€
Rare first edition of Brief Biographical History of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire (Επίτομος Βιογραφική Ιστορία των Σουλτάνων της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας), written by Avraam Vaporidis and published in Constantinople in 1885 by S. I. Voutyras.
An exceptionally scarce example of nineteenth-century Greek printing in the Ottoman Empire, this work presents concise biographical accounts of the Ottoman sultans from the foundation of the empire to the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, offering Greek readers a historical overview of the Ottoman dynasty during a period of profound political and social transformation.
The author, Avraam Vaporidis (Αβραάμ Βαπορίδης), was an eminent Greek scholar and educator who served as Imperial General Inspector of Printing Houses and Examiner of Greek-language publications for the Ottoman Ministry of Public Education. His official position makes this work particularly noteworthy, as it reflects the educational policies and multicultural intellectual life of the late Ottoman Empire.
Published in Constantinople, the political and cultural heart of the Ottoman Empire, the volume belongs to the flourishing tradition of Greek-language publishing that served the Empire’s substantial Greek Orthodox community. Books printed for this audience were generally produced in comparatively small editions, and surviving copies are increasingly uncommon, making them highly desirable to collectors of Greek, Ottoman, Balkan, and Eastern Mediterranean history.
This work is also an important witness to the coexistence of Greek scholarship within the Ottoman educational system during the reign of Abdul Hamid II (1876–1909), a period marked by educational reform and expanding print culture.
Bibliographical details
Author: Avraam Vaporidis (Αβραάμ Βαπορίδης)
Title: Brief Biographical History of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire (Επίτομος Βιογραφική Ιστορία των Σουλτάνων της Οθωμανικής Αυτοκρατορίας)
Publisher: S. I. Voutyras
Place of publication: Constantinople (Istanbul)
Year: 1885
Edition: First edition
Language: Greek
Pages: 192
Format: 18 cm × 12 cm (8vo)
Binding: Contemporary black hardcover
Condition
Good antique condition. Contemporary black hardcover with expected shelf wear, rubbing to the extremities, and age-related signs of use consistent with a volume over 140 years old. The binding remains firm and structurally sound. Internally, the pages display light age-toning and occasional foxing typical of nineteenth-century paper. The text is complete, clean, and fully legible, with no loose or missing pages. Please examine the photographs carefully, as they form an integral part of the description.
A scarce and historically significant first edition, appealing to collectors of Greek printing, Ottoman history, Balkan studies, nineteenth-century education, and books printed in Constantinople.
