LAKEMACHER Johann Gottfried Elementa Arabicae in quibus omnia ad solidam huius linguae cognitionem necessaria paradigmata exhibentur. Accedunt textus aliquot Arabici et iustae analyseos exemplum. Cum praefatione Hermanni von der Hardt.

First edition of this interesting Arabic language instruction manual. It is the first book published by Johann Gottfried Lakemacher (1695-1736).

The preface, written by Hermann von der Hardt (1660-1746), his professor of oriental languages at the University of Halmstad, ends with the praise of his disciple whose abilities in Arabic he praises. Little is known about the biography of this German scholar, except that he was first a professor of ancient Greek and then a professor of Oriental languages at Halmstad. This Arabic language instruction manual begins with a general overview of the Arabic script and its transcription according to the Golianus method, followed by the different use of prefixes, and other elements of grammar, including declinations and conjugations.

The end of the book (pp. 66 to end) contains some sections of the Qur’an, as well as the Arabic translations of the book of Genesis according to Walton’s Polyglot Bible.

Of this rare edition Wordlcat locates 13 copies in European universities (11 in Germany, 1 in the UK, 1 in Spain) but no institutional copies in the USA.