18th c book on cartomancy

Teheuti

Anyone ever heard of the following book on divination with playing cards, published in 1794? It's being sold for $1500. Anyone read Polish?

SLADY HISTORYCZNE O ZABOBONACHSTAROZYTNYCH NARODOW, WIESZCZBIE, I MNIEMANEY SZTUCE CZARNOXIESKIEY. Z ROZMAITEMI WYKLADAMI KARTOM DANEMI DLA ZABAWIENIA SIE W POSIEDZENIU, CIQGNQC IE NA LOS IMIENIEM IEDEY LUB KILKU OSOB. [SECOND VOLUME]POCZ ATEK KART SLUZACY ZA DALSZY CIAG SLADOW HISTORYCZNYCH O ZABONACH STAROZYTNYCH NARODOW... WARSAW: P. DUFOUR ET AL, 1794.
Warsaw: P. Dufour et al, 1794. 8vo. 2 vols in 1. A-M8, N4, O1; 1[=o2?), A-I8, K4. xv, [1],186; [2]152p. Contemp 1/2 calf over marbled boards, spine losr, covers worn, light dampstains throughout. 2 folding tables, 104 illustrations of cards and scenes (2 per page) =52. First Edition? Volume one is devoted to a dictionary of divinational techniques. Volume two is devoted to cartomancy. A very rare book. We have been unable to locate this book in any of our bibliographic sources.

Mary
 

jmd

Does anyone have access, or able, to translate the title?

I note that the date is quite close to Etteilla's book on cartomancy (prior to his expansion of the same to include Tarot after De Gebelin's work was published), and that, further, the publisher seems like a French national (Dufour) - a person by the same name (perhaps a relative?) also published a book on historical materials (in French) about fifty years later.
 

kwaw

jmd said:
the publisher seems like a French national (Dufour) - a person by the same name (perhaps a relative?) also published a book on historical materials (in French) about fifty years later.

Found a couple of references to a Warsaw based printer and publisher in 18th century:

quote:
"the 58 volumes of 'Teatr polski' (Polish Theater) with nearly 200 plays, the publication of which was started in Warsaw by the Frenchman Pierre Dufour in 1775."
end quote from:

Polish Library Today – Vol.5 National Library of Poland 2001 – ISSN-0867-6976 available online in pdf format here: http://www.bn.org.pl/doc/t_5_2001.pdf#search="Dufour warsaw 1794"

Whether this is the same P.Dufour I do not know, but given name, date and place it is a good possibility.

Quote:
Commercial rivalry amongst publishers and booksellers played its part in acts of repression, especially over the right to print profitable almanacs - the nobility's favourite reading matter. In 1617, rivals of the bookseller Jan Kownacki of Lublin, who had promised to convert to Catholicism and not sell heretical works when granted the right to open his shop, instigated an action to have his privilege revoked on the pretext that he had failed to comply. Zygmunt III confirmed the removal of his rights in 1618. Similar intentions lay behind calls to limit the number of print works in the following century: in 1725, the firms of Kownacki and Rozycki pleaded for such "regulation" in Warsaw; and in June 1789 the printer and publisher Dufour presented to parliament a memorandum on the management of print works in the Kingdom arguing the same.
End quote from Censorship in Poland: From the Beginnings to the Enlightenment online here:

http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/Slavonic/staff/Polcen16c.html


Kwaw
 

kwaw

jmd said:
Does anyone have access, or able, to translate the title?

It is 18th century so the spelling is archaic, and it is missing the accents, wings and various other characteristics of Polish script. There are other errors that may be down to the bookseller trying to transcribe the title using an English keyboard, thus trying for best fit between English and Polish letters. For example CIQGNQC is probably CIĄGNĄĆ = trail? I have tried to identify some of the other words.


STAROZYTNYCH = Starozytnik / starozytnosci = antiquarian / antiquities ?

ZABONACH = zabobonnosc = superstition ?

The 'word':

ZABOBONACHSTAROZYTNYCH

I think may be two word erroneously joined together, and should be separated thus:

ZABOBONACH STAROZYTNYCH and read something like:

Zabobonnosc śtarozytnik narodow= superstions of the people of antiquity, or ancient superstition ?

NARODOW = Narodowy = nation / national / people?
narodowy = adj of naród national
narodowoÊciowy = ethnic
narodowoÊç = nationality, ethnicity
naród / narodu = people, nation.

O = of, about, at, for, on, concerning, over, against, by

HISTORYCZNYCH = historyczny = historic, historical

SLADOW = śladow = trail? or S'ladowy = adj vestigial

CIAG = ciągnąć = trail?

DALSZY = farther, thither, further, subsequent, continued, another, ensuing, additional, more, indirect, later

DALSZY CIAG = dalszy ciґg ? = continuance, sequel

ZA = too, a, an, beyond, behind, after, to, by, at, as, past, on, instead of, through, per, in, during, under, for

POCZ = po czym ? = whereby, whereupon, wherefore, therewith

KART = Karta ? = card, ticket, chart, menu, charter or Karty ? = cards

OSOB = osoba? = person, individual, character, man

KILKU = kilka? = Some, few: a few, number: a number; several

LUB = or

IMIENIEM =

imieniny? = name-day, fete, name-day party

imiennie? = personally

imiennik? = namesake

imienny? = personal, individual, titular, substantival, name-, nominal

LOS = lot, fate, chance, fortune, luck, cut, dole, draw, doom

NA = on, to, for, by, of, onto, atop, against, into, upon, at, in, an

CZARNOXIESKIEY =
czarnoksi´stwo n black magic?
czarnoksi´eznik mp black magician, wizard?
czarodziej mp wizard, sorcerer
czarodziejski aj magical
czarowaç -ruj´ -rujesz impf, pf zaczarowaç charm, cast spell on, hex, bewitch
czarujàcy aj fascinating
czarownica f witch, sorceress
czarownik mp magician, witch doctor
czarowny aj enchanting, delightful

MNIEMANEY = mniemanie = n notion, conception, idea of, opinion

WIESZCZBIE = wieszcz = prophet, seer, bard

ROZMAITEMI - rozmaity aj various, different, miscellaneous - rozmaitoÊç f oft pl variety, miscellany

WYKLADAMI – talks, lectures, instructions
wykclad mi lecture
wykcladowy = adj of wykclad
wykcladaç = give a lecture.
wykcladnik = indicator, exponent
wykcladowca = instructor


POSIEDZENIU = posiedzenie n session, meeting
Z = or ze 1 prep +G 1 from; z Warszawy from Warsaw. 2 out of z kieszeni from one's pocket. 3 off (of); ze sto¡Çu
off the table
z or ze 2 prep +I (together) with; razem z nami together with us; my z Ewà Ewa and I

ZABAWIENIA =
zabawa f entertainment, merry-making, party, game
zabawka -wek f toy
zabawiç -wi´ -wisz pf, imperf zabawiaç amuse
zabawny aj amusing, funny

CIAG =
ciàg mi stretch, course, sequence, draft. w ~gu +G in the course of, during. ~ dalszy continuation
ciàgaç -am -asz impf pull, drag, draw
ciàgle aj continuously, constantly, still, on and on. ~ mówiç keep talking
ci¨¤g¡ÇoÊç f continuity
ci¨¤g¡Çy constant, continuous. av ciàgle constantly qv
ciàgnàç -n´ -niesz impf, pf pociàgnàç draw, drag, pull, haul, tug, continue (talking). ~ si´ stretch, extend

na = on, to for

IE – is I think an archaic form of 'on', ~a, ~e - she, her, he, him, it
IEDEY – is I think an archaic form of Jedyn = only, sole, alone

That is about as much as I can ascertain from a Polish-English dictionary.

SLADY HISTORYCZNE O ZABOBONACHSTAROZYTNYCH NARODOW, WIESZCZBIE, I MNIEMANEY SZTUCE CZARNOXIESKIEY.

śladow zabobonach śtarozytnich narodu, wieszcz, I mniemanie sztuce czarnoksiestwo.

Vestiges superstitious antique nations, bards [prophets, seers], and beliefs art (black) magic.

Which I tentatively interpret as:

Remnants of ancient superstitions, bards, and the concepts of the art of black magic.

Z ROZMAITEMI WYKLADAMI KARTOM DANEMI DLA ZABAWIENIA SIE W POSIEDZENIU, CIQGNQC IE NA LOS IMIENIEM IEDEY LUB KILKU OSOB.

Z rozmaity I wykclad kartom dany dla zabawienia sie w posiedzenie, ciągnąć ona na los imienny jedyny lub kilkuosoba.

Which I tentatively translate as:

Covering/with various ways for entertaining oneself or each other with cards, to obtain one's personal fate, alone or with several persons.

POCZ ATEK KART SLUZACY ZA DALSZY CIAG SLADOW HISTORYCZNYCH O ZABONACH STAROZYTNYCH NARODOW...

Pocz ATEK kart SLUZACY za dalszy ciàg śladowy historyczny O zabobonnosc śtarozytnik Narodu.

Wherein/whereby the oldest cards ATEK SLUZACY [?]; A sequel to [or: a continuation of] Remnants of ancient superstitions [or more literally: Vestigies/remants Historical of the Superstitions of the Antique Nations/Peoples]...

I have posted the text in a polish language forum requesting help with translation. So far the archaic form and lack of Polish characters is proving difficult [even for Polish spearkers] to translate.

A copy of the book was also sold at aution in September 1998 for 800 zlochy[about £135 / $254].
Kwaw
 

kwaw

kwaw said:
A copy of the book was also sold at aution in September 1998 for 800 new polish zlochy[about £135 / $254].

Kwaw

Auction reference:

Licytowane beda rowniez "tlomaczone z fracuzkiego" - wydane w 1794 roku w Warszawie - "Slady historyczne o zabobonach starozytnych narodow, wieszczbie i mniemaney sztuce czarnoxieskiey" (c. w. 800 zl).

Kwaw