THE ASHANTI WAR: A NARRATIVE. 2 VOLUME SET. by Brackenbury, Henry, Captain Royal Artillery - 1874

Edinburgh / London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1874. Two volume set - [xii], 428 pp + [vii], 367 pp, 9" H, faded red cloth boards with gilt lettering/decoration on spines, gilt lettering and gilt/black decoration on front boards, blindstamped decoration on rear boards. All maps/illustrations are present, although the list states that two maps are in a pocket at the end of Vol. II, while in fact the "Map of the Theatre of War" is tipped in at the rear of Vol. I and the "Map of the Gold Coast" is tipped in at the rear of Vol. II (no evidence of a pocket every having existed). From the author's Preface: "(I) claim for my book all the accuracy of an official account. Sir Garnet Wolseley did me the honour of placing at my disposal all the official documents of the campaign, without reservation; and they form the basis of this narrative. The account of Captain Glover's expedition is taken entirely and soley from the letters which passed between Sir G. W. and himself. The missions of Captain Butler and Captain Dalrymple have been described from their own letters. For some valuable information as to the medical arrangements for the campaign, I am indebted to Deputy Surgeon-General A. D. Home, V.C., C.B.; and for the statistics of the campaign, to Surgeon-Major W. A. Mackinnon, C.B. Lieutenant-Colonel Colley most kindly furnished me with a memoradum on the transport operations; Captain Rait, R.A., was so good as to lend me his journal; and Lieutenant-Colonel Festing and Captain Gordon drew up for me some notes on the operations preceding Sir G. W.'s arrival on the Coast. (Major -General M'Dougall) placed at my disposal all the sketches sent home by the survey department during the Expeditions; and (the Secretary of State for the Colonies allowed) me to examine the despatches received from the Gold Coast since the departure of Sir G.W. from England. (The book was) written in six weeks, immediately following a five months' campaign on the Gold Coast -." Volume I - rear fold-out map has had two archival tape repairs and is all present, some creasing at the bottom corner of the pages up to page 18, several tiny chips/holes at the fore-edge of pages 403 to 406 with a light green stain on page 403. Volume II - a small piece missing from the bottom edge of the free rear endpaper along with black dye along the fore-edge that has transferred from the dyed side, a 2" tear at the top of the gutter of pages 177 to 180 has been archivally taped. Both volumes have areas of moderate to heavy colour fading on the boards and spines, scattered small foxing marks on some pages and a little more on some maps, dust staining on top of the text block, moderate to heavy wear at the corners and at the top/bottom of the spine including some small tears and some loss of the cloth, a 1" split in the cloth at the top of the rear hinge, several light separations between some page gathering - pages are holding firmly in the binding.. Not Signed. First Edition. Hard Cover. Good-/No Dust Jackets. Illus. by Henry Cooper, Lieut. 47th Regiment, maps and plans..