Danish Mission to the East Indies–Der Königl. Dänischen Missionarien aus Ost-Indien

parts XIII-XXIV only in one volume, small 4to (202 x 164mm.), Gothic letter, general title printed in red and black, [10 (including general title and forward)], [54 (including divisional title, forward and 'Tag-Register')], 148, [2 (index)], [2 (divisional title)], 151-183, [1 (blank)], [8 (including divisional title)], 72, [28 (including divisional title)], 73-151, [1 (blank)], [2 (divisional title)], 3-16, 153-224, [2 (woodcut plan on verso, key on recto)], [28 (including divisional title)], 225-324 (324 mispaginated 243), [2 (divisional title)], 325-385, [16 (including divisional title)], 387-553, [1 (blank)], [10 (including divisional title)], 555-773, [1 (blank)], [12 (including divisional title)], 775-906, [10 (including divisional title)], 907-992, [2 (divisional title)], 995-1064, [76 ('Register')] pp., illustration: engraved frontispiece portrait of Johann Ernest Gründler, vignette on title, woodcut head- and tail-pieces, 2 folding engraved charts (at pp.608-609), and 3 plates, one folding (at pp. 719, 730 and 747), binding: contemporary calf, without divisional and other blanks, portrait with printer's creases, final plate with repaired tear (slightly affecting image), some gatherings and plates lightly browned, a little marginal worming (not affecting text), binding rather rubbed, some worming to upper cover and spine; sold as a periodical not subject to return

rare. These are the official reports of the Danish Tranquebar missionaries, who produced the first Tamil grammar in 1716. The first "Danish" missionaries were in fact the Halle Pietists Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) and Heinrich Plütscho (1676-1747), who jointly wrote the first account of the Lutheran mission at Tranquebar on the Coromandel Coast in south India, which had been established under the patronage of the Danish crown. These works were printed at the press of the Orphanage in Halle, which was founded by August Hermann Francke (1663-1727) in 1695 (see Macclesfield Bibles, lot 2430).

For another work relating to the Danish Mission, also printed at the Orphanage Press in Halle, see lot 3177.