Sketches of Persia. From the journals of a traveller in the East

London: John Murray, 1827. FIRST EDITION. Contemporary polished calf, boards with gilt-stamped border over a blind-stamped border, rebacked with the original backstrip laid down; an excellent copy. First edition of Malcolm's travels through Persia. "Malcolm (1769-1833) visited Persia three times on diplomatic missions. He travelled to most of the provinces and he had excellent officers, some of whom also wrote books on Persia" (Ghani, p. 237). Malcolm starts the journey from Bombay, sailing into the Persian Gulf, arriving at Abusheher. From there his party moves inland into the mountains, and finally reaches Shiraz and then Persepolis. Throughout his journey, Malcolm fills this work with his observations about the people he meets, and recounts Persian folk stories and fables.

Malcolm is credited with having introduced the potato to Persia. On his first visit he noted the suitability of the climate to growing this vegetable, and on his second mission to Persia took along thirty bags of seeds, which he distributed as he went, along with notes on how to grow the potato.

Malcolm was a diplomat and administrator in India, having arrived at the age of fourteen in 1783 to work for the East India Company. He became fluent in Persian and was sent to the Middle East during his career, though he would eventually return to India and become Governor of Bombay (1827-1830). He was the commander of the British Army which defeated the Holkars who ruled Indore at the Battle of Mahidpur in 1818. He was the author of several valuable works, including Sketch of the Sikh (1812), A history of Persia (1815), Memoir of Central India (1823), Political history of India from 1784 to 1823 (1826), and Life of Lord Clive (1836). As a writer, Malcolm was a profound influence on the generation of military and diplomatic officials that governed British India in the period before 1857.