PRÉMARE, JOSEPH HENRY MARIE DE: - Notitia linguae sinicae. Hongkong, La Société des Missions Étrangères, 1894.

. Pp. 255. Original printed wrappers with some minor staining and chipped along edges. Paper crease in the beginning of the book. De Prémare was a Jesuit missionary who served in Guangxi in the beginning of the 18th century. In 1724 when the Emperor virtually banned Christianity over the Chinese Rites controversy, Prémare had to leave for Guangzhou and later went to Macau where he died in 1739. He became one of the most significant sinologists of his time and his principal work "Notitia linguae sinicae" is considered the most important Chinese grammar in a European language of the time. It explains the rules and usage of the vulgar Chinese language (siao shue) and the style of the written, literary language (wen tschang). The renowned English sinologist James Legge calls it "an invaluable work, which it could hardly be possible to speak in too high terms". (See Catholic Encyclopedia). It was not published until 100 years later in Malacca in 1831. The Ms was sent to Stephanus Fourmont who himself published a grammar, apparently deliberately delaying the publication of Prémare's work. This is a later, also rare edition. Cordier BS 1669. Cf Vater p. 68.

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