Francklin, Lieutenant-Colonel William:: The History of the Reign of Shah-Aulum, the Present Emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the Transactions of the Court of Delhi, and the Neighbouring States, during a Period of Thirty-six years: interspersed with Geographical and Topographical Observations on Several of the Principal Cities of Hindostan

Buy this book on-line

Francklin, Lieutenant-Colonel William: : The History of the Reign of Shah-Aulum, the Present Emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the Transactions of the Court of Delhi, and the Neighbouring States, during a Period of Thirty-six years: interspersed with Geographical and Topographical Observations on Several of the Principal Cities of Hindostan

4to. pp.xx + [4] + 254 + folding map engraved by J. Walker, derived from surveys by (and dedicated to) James Rennell, sometimes described as the ‘father of Indian cartography’. There are also 4 engraved portrait plates: Shah Aulum, Mirza Nujuff Khan Zulficar al Dowlah, Mujud al Dowlah, and Madhajee Sindiah, after miniatures from the collections of William Ousely, Jonathan Scott, and Thomas Daniell. The preliminaries include a 12 page list of subscribers and a dedication to the directors of the East India Company. Marginal water-staining visible on the plates. Contemporary tree-calf, appropriately rebacked, corners renewed. Engraved bookplate of W. Burnett, c. 1800, incorporating the crest of the Burnett family of Leys, Scotland.

William Francklin (1763-1839), eldest son of the classical scholar Thomas Francklin, joined the Bengal Native Infantry as a cadet in 1783 and enjoyed a distinguished military career. However, he carved out an equally notable career as a scholar of oriental languages and literature. A long-standing member of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in retirement he became a member of the Council and Librarian of the Royal Asiatic Society, London. For this particular work, as he reveals in the preface, he drew on Persian manuscript sources such as “the Shah Aulum Nameh ... by Gholaum Ali”. The Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II (reigned 1759-1806) was the last emperor to wield real power, although the actual power at his disposal fluctated widely over a long and contentous reign in which he sought to restore the lost glories of the Mughal Empire. In 1788, a decade before Francklin was writing, Shah Alam was blinded by his wazir, and although he held onto his throne and exacted vengeance his position was greatly weakened. After the battle of Delhi in 1803 the East India Company styled itself ‘protector’ of the elderly ruler, quashing the threat of direct French interference and utilising the widespread (if largely nominal) authority which still adhered to the title., ESTC T145523

Francklin, Lieutenant-Colonel William: : The History of the Reign of Shah-Aulum, the Present Emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the Transactions of the Court of Delhi, and the Neighbouring States, during a Period of Thirty-six years: interspersed with Geographical and Topographical Observations on Several of the Principal Cities of Hindostan is listed for sale on Bibliophile Bookbase by Bryars & Bryars.

Click here for full details of this book, to ask a question or to buy it on-line.

Bibliophile Bookbase probably offers multiple copies of Francklin, Lieutenant-Colonel William: : The History of the Reign of Shah-Aulum, the Present Emperor of Hindostaun. Containing the Transactions of the Court of Delhi, and the Neighbouring States, during a Period of Thirty-six years: interspersed with Geographical and Topographical Observations on Several of the Principal Cities of Hindostan. Click here to select from a complete list of available copies of this book.

Bibliophile Bookbase lists over 5 million books, maps and prints including antiquarian books, collectables, livres d'occasion, incunabula and livres anciens.

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.