[Rarebooks] FS: John Luard, VIEWS IN INDIA (1838)

[Kaaterskill Books]

We offer for sale from our new catalogue:

Luard, John. VIEWS IN INDIA, SAINT HELENA AND CAR NICOBAR. DRAWN FROM 
NATURE AND ON STONE. London: [J. Graf, printer to Her Majesty], 
[1838]. Unpaged. Illus. with lithographic title and 60 lithographic 
plates mounted on india paper. Folio (350 x2 60 mm). First edition. 
Not in Abbey.

Bound by Harrison Bookbinder (Pall Mall, small stamp to front blank) 
in contemporary half crimson morocco over red cloth boards, spine 
tooled and lettered in gilt, five raised bands.

Major John Luard (1790-1875) had a distinguished military career, 
serving both as a Lieutenant at Waterloo and as a Captain at Bhurt- 
pore in 1825, but he also possessed considerable artistic talent as 
did the rest of his family, and is "considered one of the most 
talented of the many amateur artists who depicted India" (see 'India 
Observed: India as Viewed by British Artists,' Victoria & Albert 
Mus., 1982, pp. 142-43). In 1822 he met Fanny Parks on shipboard and 
later she wrote in her journal on 4 August 1833 "I have just received 
a present of the first number of Colonel Luard's most beautiful views 
of India; how true they are! his snake-catchers are the very people 
themselves," (Parks, Fanny. Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the 
Picturesque, 1850, Vol. I, p. 279). For this volume "the enormous 
expense of line engraving" induced Luard "to draw them himself upon 
stone." Contains numerous views of the Taj, Delhi, native peoples, as 
well as plates of military and Indian costume. Because the work was 
composed over a long period of time and used multiple printers (the 
plates were printed by C. Hullmandel; Maguire, Lemercier & Co.; 
Maguire & Co.; and Graf & Soret), it is rarely found complete with 
all 60 plates. It was incomplete in each last three times it was at 
auction in England (54, 47, and 48 plates respectively). Provenance: 
William Backwell Tyringham (bookplate); A. J. Combridge, Bombay and 
Madras, the publishers (neat stamp to verso of front free endpaper). 
Moderate foxing to text leaves and plate mounts; boards rubbed with 
some discoloration and a few gouges to front board, spine with a few 
minor chips, edge wear, still a very good copy.  [35878] $5250.00


A few images can be found at:
www.kaaterskillbooks.com/img/35878.jpg
www.kaaterskillbooks.com/img/35878boardslg.jpg
www.kaaterskillbooks.com/img/35878a.jpg
www.kaaterskillbooks.com/img/35878snake.jpg

For more books on India see out just released Catalogue 12: Asia Part 
IV: INDIA containing 331 items including views, early grammars, 
travel & exploration, art, literature, and a large number of 
scholarly offprints, periodicals, etc.

To view the catalogue (size: 1.8 mb) go to:

http://www.kaaterskillbooks.com/catalogues/Catalogue12.pdf

We will be happy to send images of any items.

A printed catalogue is available upon request.



Regards,

Charles Kutcher
Kaaterskill Books
P. O. Box 122
East Jewett, NY 12424
email: books at kaaterskillbooks.com
phone: 518-589-0555
www.kaaterskillbooks.com
Members ABAA/ILAB


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