William Price (orientalist)
William Price (1780–1830) was an English orientalist.
Life[edit]
Price was born at Worcester. In 1810, he was appointed assistant secretary and interpreter to the embassy of Sir Gore Ouseley to Persia which travelled there from 1811 to 1812.[1]
On his return to England, Price wrote and taught oriental languages at the seminary of his friend, Alexander Humphreys, at Netherstone House, near Worcester. He set up a private printing press in his house, and became a member of the Royal Asiatic Society of London and the Asiatic Society of Calcutta. He died in June 1830.[1]
Works[edit]
Price kept a diary in Persia, and made hundreds of drawings, of landscapes and buildings. He deciphered many cuneiform inscriptions. He published:[1]
- Dialogues Persans, composés pour l'auteur par Mirza Saulih de Chiraz, no date or place, republished, with an English translation, Worcester, 1822, and again as part iii. of:
- A Grammar of the Three Principal Oriental Languages, Hindoostanee, Persian, and Arabic, on a Plan entirely new, London, 1823.
- A Journal of the British Embassy to Persia, embellished with numerous Views taken in India and Persia; also a Dissertation upon the Antiquities of Persepolis, London, 1825. A second edition contained Elements of Sanskrit, or an Easy Guide to the Indian Tongues, Worcester, 1827; London, 1832. It was illustrated by Price's drawings.
- A new Grammar of the Hindoostanee Language, issued under the auspices of the East India Company, London, 1828.
- Husn oo Dil, or Beauty and Heart: an Allegory, Persian and English, translated by Price, London, 1828; dedicated to the Royal Asiatic Society.
- Hindu and Hindoostanee Selections, from which material was drawn for the Chants populaires de l'Inde (1860) of Garcin de Tassy.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Lee, Sidney, ed. (1892). "Price, William (1780-1830)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 30. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
