East India Register 1839. A working copy of a key edition showing the Indian Army as it was at the start of the First Afghan War of 1838-42.

The East India Register and Directory for 1839; containing complete Lists of the Company’s Servants, with their respective Appointments; with Indexes to the Same, and Lists of Casualties….Births, Marriages and Deaths in India…List of the Proprietors of East India qualified to vote … compiled by Permission of the East India Company…by F. Clark of the Secretary’s Office, East India House. Wm, H. Allen [London] 1839 small 8vo.

xliv, 249pp including 9pp casualties (Bengal), 167pp including 8pp casualties (Madras), 132pp including 5pp casualties (Bombay],[x1i advertisements] +12pp Allen’s list. Contemporary calf  rubbed and worn, the spine with tears and some loss, upper board virtually detached withn blanks and half title before title page, sound text block with no markings, contemporary ownership signature to half title J. Loudon.  Ideally this copy deserves either carefully re-casing or rebinding. This edition does not mention the precise date at which it was issued but the likelihood is that it was published around the start of the year. The First Afghan War started in early October 1838 which would quite likely be around the date when the information for this edition was put together Fully indexed lists of all serving and retired officers in the three Presidency armies, together with lists of civil servants, Indian Navy officers (down to Midshipmen), government officials, etc. A feature of the Register is the list of annual casualties with date and place of death, etc. This volume, published when the Earl of Auckland was Governor General, lists the army as it was around the start of the 1st Afghan War. mar18/1