Folk Tales of Bengal

Lal Behari Dey, Folk Tales of Bengal, London: Macmillan & Co., Limited, 1912, first edition

xiv, 273 pages. including 32 Illustrations in colour by Warwick Gobles along with captions; highly decorated red cloth boards in gilt with intricate patterns on upper board and spine along with all painted edges

The present lot is a collection of 22 folk and fairy tales written by Lal Behari Dey, a journalist and pioneer of English writing. First published in 1883 with 32 colour plates illustrations by Warwick Gobles, this edition was reprinted in 1912. From astronomical myths to exotic tales about the origins of opium and rubies, the stories in this book were based on Dey's knowledge of his native Bengal's wealth of folklore. In his own words: "An old Brahman told me two stories; an old barber, three; an old servant of mine told me two; and the rest I heard from another old Brahman. None of my authorities knew English; they all told the stories in Bengali, and I translated them into English."

NON-EXPORTABLE