Curzon’s monumental work on British India, its Viceroys & Houses, de luxe edition, 51/500

CURZON, Lord: BRITISH GOVERNMENT IN INDIA. The Story of the Vicdroys  and Government Houses by The Marquis Curzon of Kedleston, K.G. Viceroy and Governor General of  India Jan. 1899 – May 1904, and Dec. 1904 – Nov. 1905. Cassell and Company Ltd [London] 1925 1st edition large paper copy 2 vols large quarto [12½ x 11 ins].

2 VOLUMES. Large paper limited de luxe edition,  No 51 of 500 copies, in publisher’s blue half leather gilt. Vol 1: photo litho frontispiece portrait with guard, 2 folding plans, 50 plates of illustrations, xix.259pp; Vol II: photo litho portrait frontispiece of Lord Curzon, 35 other plates of illustration, x.268pp. All illustrations complete as called for. Original publisher’s half blue leather gilt with blue cloth boards gilt blocked with the title and the royal arms, some marking to the cloth of the boards [following water staining perhaps], the leather remaining very sound and the spines good looking, a very sound and solid set of the scarce de-luxe edition, top edges gilt, remaining edges untrimmed, internally clean with none of the foxing sometimes found in this edition, no previous ownership marks, half title working loose, first gathering of  volume 2 pulling fronm stitching. A decent set of Curzon’s last book in a handsome edition with no previous ownership markings. He died before finishing the proof reading and indexing of the second half of volume II but in his usual meticulous way had left instructions for Sir William Foster to carry the work to print. A very heavy set (4.7 kg) which will incur quite heavy postage costs if being sent overseas.    jan31/4