![Item #80 [OSSETIAN LANGUAGE] Khutsaui arbuani ragondini tsibir sibdeg istoria [i.e. The History of Old Testament for Children] / complied by Iosif archbishop of Vladikavkaz.](https://bookvica.cdn.bibliopolis.com/pictures/80.jpg?width=768&height=1000&fit=bounds&auto=webp&v=1450187192)
[OSSETIAN LANGUAGE] Khutsaui arbuani ragondini tsibir sibdeg istoria [i.e. The History of Old Testament for Children] / complied by Iosif archbishop of Vladikavkaz.
Vladikavkaz: Z.I. Shuvalov, 1881. Item #80
[2], 140, [2], VIII pp. 8vo. Original illustrated publisher's wrappers. Bleak foxing on the front cover, owner’s stamp on the front cover and the title page as well as the stamp of the pre-revolutionary museum. Otherwise a very good copy.
Extremely rare. Signed by the author on the title verso – archbishop Iosif presented the book to Mikhail Smirnov 16 days after it was printed.
One of the earliest books printed for children in Ossetian language. Ossetia is the region between Georgia and Russia on the North Caucasus. First Cyrillic-based grammar was created for Ossetia in 1840s by Andrey Shegren, Russian-Finish linguist. The Bible was translated to Ossetian in 1861. In 1875 Episcopate of Ossetia was founded and Iosif Chepigovsky (1821-1890) was appointed as archbishop of the region.
Chepigovsky who was originally from Crimea learnt Ossetian language and started to encourage the book printing in Vladikavkaz although most of the books printed at that time were either in Russian or of a religious matter.
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