1858–1861 · First edition · Complete in three volumes

The Indian Empire

History, Topography, Geology, Climate, Population, Chief Cities and Provinces

R. Montgomery Martin · With views described by Emma Roberts

A monumental three-volume illustrated survey of India published in the immediate aftermath of the uprising of 1857.

Published between 1858 and 1861, R. Montgomery Martin’s Indian Empire attempted nothing less than a comprehensive portrait of the subcontinent at the moment when Company rule gave way to the British Crown. Its scope ranges across history, topography, geology, population, cities, religion, education, land tenure, trade and government, with a substantial contemporary account of the uprising of 1857 and its alleged causes.

The third volume incorporates India Delineated: a magnificent sequence of engraved views of the Himalaya and the principal places of India, accompanied by letterpress descriptions associated with the travel writer Emma Roberts. Maps, portraits, architectural scenes, landscapes and city views turn the set into a visual archive as well as a historical text.

This complete three-volume set is preserved in handsome green cloth and half-calf bindings with contrasting spine labels. The bindings show the patina of considerable age and use, but the illustrated contents remain impressive. Complete sets are increasingly difficult to assemble, particularly because their maps and engravings were often removed for framing.

Publication

London and New York · The London Printing and Publishing Company, 1858–1861

Language

English

Format

Three folio volumes · Half calf over green cloth · Contrasting spine labels · Illustrated with maps, portraits and engraved views

Completeness

Complete in three volumes, illustrated with maps, portraits and views.

Condition

Good. The bindings remain serviceable and retain attractive period character, with substantial rubbing, surface wear and losses to the leather. The contents show expected foxing and age-toning, while the maps and engravings remain visually strong.

Provenance

Early bookseller’s or collector’s note on the endpaper describing the set as rare and complete in three volumes.

Rarity

A large and increasingly scarce complete illustrated set, valued for its immediate post-1857 historical perspective and its extensive engraved record of Indian landscapes, cities, monuments and people.

Status

On request