The History of The Imperial Assemblage at Delhi 1877. A scarce large paper copy/

Double page folding coloured map of India, single page coloured map of country around Delhi, double page coloured plate of the Assemblage, colour plate of the special gold medal, plate of the banner given to princes, 27 mounted photographic plates [Woodburytypes] comprising 14 portraits The Queen, Viceroy Lord Lytton, rulers of Nepal, Hyderabad, Baroda, Mysore, Gwalior, Indore, Udaipur, Bhopal, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kashmir, and Khelat and 13 views of buildings, Assemblage events, etc, xix 248pp. A large paper copy [14¼ x 11 ins compared with the standard 12¼ x 10 ins], original pictorial blue cloth gilt, front board elaborately gilt blocked with title around a representation of the banner given to princes, spine blocked with title and badges of Order of the Star of India, heavy bevelled boards, a very little rubbing and wear at extremities and the head and tail of spine, small stain top left of upper board but much better than usual and very bright blue and gilt, all edges gilt, inner hinges split along endpapers and just holding on on the cords, both free endpapers are loose but present and the text block is particularly clean with just very occasional foxing or offsetting from an illustration. A very handsomely produced account of this important landmark event in Indian and Imperial history. Although this copy has a few faults it is now very hard to find good complete copies – usually some of the photographic images (especially the fine portraits) have been plundered. All the photos are of an excellent quality and rich in tone. The detail is invaluable – precise dates of the receptions of chiefs by the Viceroy, details of the Ruling Chiefs present at the Assemblage, list of salutes, lists of those invested with honours, lists of titles awarded [Maharaja, Lokendar, Raja, Rao Bahadur, Rao Sahib, Khan Bahadur, etc], release of various prisoners, increases in payments to the military. There is also a very full list of those attending the Assemblage in an official capacity.     mar1/1     SOLD 2nd March 2023

Large paper. The difference in size from the also scarce standard copy of this work may seem slight in figures but the effect, achieved by wider margins and spacing, is to present a much more impressive book. We have only had around six complete copies of the standard sized book over the last 25 years and have never before come across a large paper copy. We have had large paper copies and de-luxe editions of the works on the later durbars but never for the 1877 Assemblage. Two of our photographs show this volume alongside a standard sized one [the latter not currently for sale]. Many copies that appear have missing portrait plates or the double page coloured plate. Families sometimes removed the plate of an ancestor and some dealers used to remove the photographic plates to sell separately.