I have what looks like an Antique Prayer book, but the language is unknown. how do I find out more about it?

Question

It is hand written and has dating in the front from 1852 to 1870. There are also many hand-drawn pictures and is BEAUTIFUL!

I have entered some of the words into translation pages, but its REAL vague. Some languages have one or two word matches, but most transl. sites expect you to know the language to translate from.

Answer 1

you could have a museum look at it?

Answer 2

Because of he dates that you give suspect its a European immigrant and because its handwritten may be Catholic for in the Catholic Church back then the bible was not readily available to the public but still written in Latin--try Latin since that was the language of the church. If not then these were the main European immigrants----------Irish,Scottish(a lot came from Britain but in England language was still English)then try French,German,Dutch,Spanish,Portuguese and even possibility of Russian. You could go to your local Library and ask the Reference Librarian to help you for the Library has a lot of info and other connections at their disposal. Since it is so old perhaps if you handle wear some thin gloves,even latex will do to avoid staining for even the oil in skin can leave marks. To take it to a antique book store or appraiser won't help since your book is handwritten not printed book and they are not language experts and only deal in rare old book(printed). It would surprise me if the library can't identify for you but they can refer you to where they can so you won't be running hither and dither with no results. I too love old things, old books and scour estate sales and antique shops and am always delighted when I find a treasure. Enjoy!

Answer 3

Make a search online or check the phonebook for rare book stores in your area, or rare book appraisers and bring it in so they can have a look at it, but don't sell it to the first person you go to! Make sure you just get an appraisal or at least more info about it first then go somewhere else if you want to sell it. Try not to handle it too much. The oils and stuff from your fingers could ruin it or depreciate it's value.

Answer 4

Yes, I would take it to a museum or a university to have them look at it. It would be helpful if you tried to type out at least one sentence from the book if it used the Latin alphabet (like English and most other Indo-European languages) so that it would be easier to determine what language it was in.

Answer 5

Lucky you!

I would type in some of the words into the Internet and see what comes up.

Sometimes they have an option that says
"Translate This Page"

Or else go to your library....they might know.

Answer 6

Is there a university nearby? If so, perhaps you could ask a member of the Religious Studies, World Languages, or Linguistics faculty to help you identify its language.

Answer 7

Pick a random page and type in about 4-5 sentences in your additional comments section.

Answer 8

If you have a decent sized university or college near you I'm sure a Professor who teaches in the Humanities/Social Sciences dept. should be able to give you a history on it.

Answer 9

Ebay is knowledgeable about antiques, old books and such, click onto Ebay and describe to them what you have. They may refer you to a dealer in antiquities, or type in the word Antiquities, and search the web for someone knowledgeable about those things. God Bless

Answer 10

The Salat would desire to be finished in Arabic, because is the language of the Qur'an. you may supplicate (make Dua) after the Salah in whichever language you please, yet you will desire to recite the Qur'an in Arabic in the time of the Salats.

Answer 11

Take it to an antiques appraiser specializing in antique books.