Sketch of the Sikhs.
by Malcolm, John, Brigadier General
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Rye, East Sussex, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Calcutta: printed by A.H. Hubbard, at the Hindoostanee Press, 1810. First edition, an extract from Asiatick Researches, Volume 11. 4to (27 x 22 cm), pp.[ii], (197)-292. A very good copy professionally bound in yellow morocco, with title page supplied. The first substantive published account of the Sikh nation. John Malcolm began to assemble materials for his history while serving with British forces in the Punjab in 1805, noting that "English writers, none of them had possessed more than very general information regarding this extraordinary race..." Malcolm made his own observations and notes in the Punjab, and acquired a number of Sikh manuscripts. When he returned to Calcutta, he interviewed a Sikh on his religion, and acquired a number of English translations of Sikh religious and historical texts from John Leyden. The demands of Malcolm's duties prevented him from compiling a full history, but his briefer text effectively glosses the period from the birth of Guru Nanak in 1469 to the disordered Sikh states of the Punjab in 1805. Malcolm relied on Sikh sources, stating "it is of the most essential importance to hear what a nation has to say of itself; and the knowledge obtained from such sources has a value, independent of its historical utility." He was aware of other contemporary accounts and histories, but preferred the Sikhs' own accounts to the somewhat hostile Mughal records. This text was reprinted at London in 1812 in octavo.
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Details
- Bookseller
- John Randall (Books of Asia) (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 200498
- Title
- Sketch of the Sikhs.
- Author
- Malcolm, John, Brigadier General
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- printed by A.H. Hubbard, at the Hindoostanee Press
- Place of Publication
- Calcutta
- Date Published
- 1810
- Bookseller catalogs
- South Asia; INDIA;
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About the Seller
John Randall (Books of Asia)
Biblio member since 2018
Rye, East Sussex
About John Randall (Books of Asia)
John Randall has been selling rare and scholarly books on Asia since 1978. We hold more than 30,000 titles warehoused in East Sussex.We issue regular email catalogues in our Orientalia series on India & Pakistan, the Islamic World, Southeast Asia, China, Central Asia, and Ceylon.If you would like to receive any or all of these catalogues please confirm your interest by email.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...