Fonds ER - Papers of Edward Rehatsek

Zone d'identification

Cote

GB 891 ER

Titre

Papers of Edward Rehatsek

Date(s)

  • [1947 - 1988] (Création/Production)
  • [1878 - 1898] (Création/Production)

Niveau de description

Fonds

Étendue matérielle et support

1 large archival box

Zone du contexte

Nom du producteur

Notice biographique

Edward Rehatsek was born in 1819 in Ilok (then in Hungary, now in Croatia). He graduated from the university in Budapest with a masters degree in civil engineering. He left Hungary in 1842, visiting Paris before spending four years in the United States of America. In 1847 he sailed to India, where he remained for the rest of his life. He studied Asian languages and literature and accompanied Dr Bhau Daji on his research travels. As a competent mathematician and good Latin scholar, he became employed as Professor of Mathematics and of Latin at Wilson College, Bombay, remaining in post until 1871, besides giving private lessons in Latin, Persian, Arabic and French.
Rehatsek became an Examiner at Bombay University from 1869-1881, being made a Felwow in 1873 and twice being the Wilson Philological Lecturer in Hebrew and Semitic languages. In 1874 he was elected an honorary member of the Bombay Asiatic Society in recognition of his oriental learning. Rehatsek translated a number of Persian and Arabic works including "Biography of Our Lord Muhammad, the Apostle of Allah" according to Ibn Hisham, the first two parts of "Mirkhond's General History" and the first part of "The Rauzat-us-safa" for the Oriental Translation Fund.
Rehatsek remained unmarried and lived something of the life of a recluse. he had no servants and cooked his food using a spirit lamp. He owned a small house with little furniture but many books on which he worked continuously. He died on 11 December 1891 and was given a Hindu cremation at his request. His savings were left for the education of poor boys in Bombay.

Nom du producteur

Notice biographique

Forster Fitzgerald (F.F.) Arbuthnot (1833-1901) was also a linguist and translator. He spent his early career in the Indian civil service in Bombay where he would have known Rehatsek. He was also a close friend of Richard Burton and collaborated with him on publications. He acted as an editor for some of Rehatsek's work.

Histoire archivistique

The translations are all the work of Edward Rehatsek who sent them to F.F. Arbuthnot for editing and possible publication. (There is some book post packaging with the material). The Papers have been annotated and organised by Arbuthnot whilst in his possession.

Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert

On the cover of ER/1/1, A Translation of the Nigaristan by Muir Uddin Jaiwuia, it states that the manuscript was given to the Royal Asiatic Society by F.F. Arbuthnot in 1895. In Thomas Wright's "The Life of Sir Richard Burton, Volume II" (Everett & Co., 1906), p.70-71, he states that these manuscripts were in the possession of Arbuthnot but failed to reach publication because of Arbuthnot's death but that these manuscripts were in the possession of the Royal Asiatic Society. In Appendix IX of the same volume, p.xiii, those manuscripts within these Papers which were not published are listed by the author with some comments upon them. So it is possible that all the handwritten manuscripts were given to the Society by Arbuthnot in 1895.

Zone du contenu et de la structure

Portée et contenu

The Papers consist of manuscripts of translations made by Rehatsek often with notes, prefaces etc by Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, to whom Rehatsek had sent the translations.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation

Conditions d’accès

Open. Please contact the archivist using the email address given here. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID

Conditions governing reproduction

Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.

Language of material

  • anglais

Script of material

    Language and script notes

    Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques

    Finding aids

    Zone des sources complémentaires

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related units of description

    The Journal for the Royal Asiatic Society 1892 (3, July), pp. 581-595, carries an article "Life and Labours of Mr. Edward Rehatsek" by F.F. Arbuthnot which acts as both an obituary for him and also gives a detailed list of Rehatsek's publications.
    The Society holds within its Collections copies of the publications: Catalogue raisonné of the Arabic, Hindostani, Persian, and Turkish mss. in the Mulla Firuz library (1873); On Hindu civilization in the Far East, as represented by architectural monuments and inscriptions (ca.1890); The Rauzat-us-safa, or, Garden of Purity by Muhammad bin Khāvendshāh bin Mahmūd, commonly called Mirkhond (1891-1894);The life of Muhammad, apostle of Allah by Ibn Ishaq [translated from the Arabic by Edward Rehatsek], edited by Michael Edwardes (1964);The Gulistan, or, Rose garden of Saʻdī, translated by Edward Rehatsek, edited with a preface by W. G. Archer and introduction by G. M. Wickens ([1964]). Full details can be found on our Library catalogue: https://ras.koha-ptfs.co.uk/.

    Descriptions associées

    Zone des notes

    Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)

    Mots-clés

    Mots-clés - Lieux

    Mots-clés - Genre

    Zone du contrôle de la description

    Identifiant de la description

    gb891-er

    Identifiant du service d'archives

    Rules and/or conventions used

    Statut

    Niveau de détail

    Dates of creation revision deletion

    Langue(s)

      Écriture(s)

        Sources

        Archivist's note

        These Papers were catalogued in 2018 by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist.

        Accession area