The Imperial Coronation Durbar (Illustrated). Delhi, 1911. Vol. 1: Presentation Copy to the Lieutenant Governor of Burma

Lahore (Punjab): The Imperial Publishing Co. (Khosla Bros.), 1911. First edition. Folio, 34 x 26cm, [4], [i], iv, [3], 481, [1]pp. Presentation binding, full black morocco over padded, beveled edged boards, stamped in gilt on covers and spine with lettering, elaborate border, and Imperial Crown, g. e. Crown is hand painted in red, blue and white. Gilt dentelles, blue silk endpapers, platinum photographs throughout, printed red borders of different shades and black lettering on thick, glossy paper. Letter of presentation from the publisher to The Hon'ble Sir Harvey Adamson, K.C.S.I., M.A., L.L.D., Lieutenant-Governor of Burma, printed in gilt on red silk and mounted to front free endpaper. Some rubbing to corners and spine ends, some paint loss to the crown, front endpaper lightly chipped along the lower edge, with a few silk threads of the letter of presentation becoming unwound, else clean internally. A large, heavy volume in nearly fine condition. Printed as a memento of the historic Imperial Coronation Durbar at Delhi, 1911, honoring King George V and Queen Mary as Emperor and Empress of India. In the presentation letter to Harvey Adamson, the publishers lay out the intent of the volume (which is "graced by Your Honor's portrait"), as giving a "bird's-eye view of the present political condition of India," through "historical and biographical sketches of the various Ruling Chiefs and Princes of India,...suitable memoirs of distinguished personages,...and of men famous in Literature, Science, Art, and other spheres of useful activity, accompanied with their portraits as far as possible." The book is indeed lavishly produced and illustrated with roughly 600 biographical sketches, most with photographs, many of which are credited, including several from Bourne and Shepherd of Calcutta, the official photographers of the Durbar. The last of three Durbars, the others in 1877 and 1903, the 1911 assembly was notable as only one attended by the King and Queen, the first time a British monarch had visited India, the crown jewel of empire. The event was held at Coronation Park in Delhi from December 7th-16th and was attended by the vast majority of ruling princes and noblemen, making it the largest of its kind. Underneath the pomp and regalia, however, were the roots of resentment and stirrings of independence. The scandal of the Durbar came when the Gaekwar of Baroda, Maharajah Sayajirao III, briefly bowed only once instead of the required three times when approaching the emperor, and then turned his back to walk to his seat instead of walking backwards. This and other happenings of the Durbar were captured on film, most famously and in color by Charles Urban the British-American producer and film maker. "With Our King and Queen through India" became the first color cinematography to be viewed by the majority Western audiences. Sir Harvey Adamson served as Lieutenant Governor in Burma from 1910, when he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, until 1915. Of interesting note, a steamship built for the British India Steam Navigation Company in 1914 and named after the General, went missing at sea along with its 269 passengers in 1947. An immense trove of photographic evidence of a time and place, being the crest of British Imperialism in India, the book is institutionally scarce. Our research finds only a few copies of either volume held worldwide, the book on offer with a tangible and important provenance.