Ludovico Marracci - Prodromus ad refutationem Alcorani - Pars Secunda (II) - 1691

Extremely rare and historically very significant theological work:

Ludovici Marracci – Prodromus ad refutationem Alcorani
Rome, Typis Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, 1691.

First edition of Part II (of a total of four) of the renowned “Prodromus” by Father Ludovico Marracci (1612-1700), the foremost Arabist and Qur’an scholar of his era, and confessor to Pope Innocent XI.

This volume forms the second part of the preliminary work Marracci published in 1691 as an introduction to his monumental Latin translation and refutation of the Qur’an (the famous “Alcorani textus universus” of 1698). In the Prodromus, Marracci employs exclusively Islamic sources and the Qur’anic text itself to expose internal contradictions within Islam, leading to its immediate prohibition in many Muslim countries and severely limited circulation ever since.

Key Features of This book


• Format: In-4to
• Binding: Contemporary stiff parchment, with spine hand-lettered in ink (“Marracci Prodrom. Refut. Alcor. Par. 2”), showing natural age-related wear, minor stains, and small edge tears—solid and unrestored, preserving its authenticity.
• Title Page: Ornate woodcut border and Propaganda Fide; dated M.DC.XCI (1691); includes Latin subtitle and imprimatur; minor marginal foxing but text clear and complete.
• Interior: Woodcut initials decorative head- and tailpieces; double-column text with passages in elegant Arabic type; show strong, clean paper with occasional light foxing or rust spots, wide margins, and no significant tears or losses—typical for a 330+ year-old volume.
• Provenance: Ex-libris stamps possibly an early ecclesiastical or institutional mark.