Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources, / comp. by Somerset Playne, F.R.G.S., assisted by J.W. Bond, ed. by Arnold Wright
Somerset Playne and Arnold Wright, Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources, / comp. by Somerset Playne, F.R.G.S., assisted by J.W. Bond, ed. by Arnold Wright, London: The Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Co., 1914-15
766 pages including 563 black and white plates; original Morocco gilt with decorated border tooled in gold, inset with map of South India, gilt text along with 5 raised bands at the spine, all edges gilt
12.25 x 9.75 x 2.25 in (31 x 25 x 6 cm)
Somerset Playne (1875–1944), was a tireless traveller, explorer and chronicler of the length and breadth of the British Empire when it was at its zenith.
He was hired by the Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company in 1900 to visit Africa and contribute to the creation of the content for its Twentieth Century Impressions book series. A fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, after a few years, Playne made the decision to enter the publishing industry on his own, and in 1908 he established the Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Publishing Company for producing books, “giving the history, commerce, industries and resources of each country; to prove what industrial enterprise could attain under new and sometimes hard conditions.” Foreign and Colonial's publications closely resembled Twentieth Century Impressions in style.
According to Playne, the main purpose of these books was to “arouse in the English-speaking peoples an intelligent and enduring interest in the King’s dominions and colonies beyond the seas, and at the same time to give such an accurate picture of each section of the Empire as shall make them standard works of reference for all who desire a fuller knowledge of the enormous resources and commercial possibilities of each colony.”
Playne focused on India after publishing three volumes on Africa and one on New Zealand. He landed in India in 1913 and remained stranded there until the end of the First World War, which began in 1914. Since the Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company, his previous employment, shut down at the same time, Playne was able to hire Arnold Wright, the editor, for his business.
India was a huge continent with enough content for four volumes. The first book to appear was the present lot Southern India: Its History, People, Commerce, and Industrial Resources (1914) followed by Bengal And Assam, Behar And Orissa (1917) (Sold in the past, StoryLTD, 10 October 2018, lot 96). Another book was scheduled for release that year, but the First World War's demands prevented it from happening. It was eventually published in 1920 under the title The Bombay Presidency, the United Provinces, the Punjab, etc.: Their History, People, Commerce, and Natural Resources.
J W Bond assisted Playne in compiling the content. Arnold Wright was a notable British journalist and author known for his works related to India and the Far East. He was experienced in writing about various aspects of colonial territories.
The book covers a wide range of topics related to Southern India such as:-
Early History, Native Races, Flora, Finance, Arts and Crafts.
The City of Madras and Environs, The Theosophical Society, The Madras Harbour, Fauna.
The City of Bangalore, The Planting Industries.
Ootacamund, The Nilgiri Hills, And Wynaad, Kotagiri, Irrigation.
The State of Mysore, Geology and Mineralogy.
The State of Cochin, H.R.H. The Rajah of Cochin, Marine Fisheries, Fishing, Madras Fisheries Department, Marine Fauna.
The District of Coimbatore, The Anamalai Hills, The Shevaroy Hills, School, Sport.
The Province of Coorg.
The Cities of The South.
Pudukkottai State, Education.
The Malabar Coast, Railways in Southern India, The State of Travancore.
The Trade of Madras, French Settlements, The Ground-Nut Trade, Sericulture, Madras to Vizagapatam, Industries, The Forests of Madras, The Financing of District Railways, The Literature Relating to Southern India, Colonial Institute.
Cuddapah, Bellary, And Vellore, The Native State of Sandur, The Native State of Banganapolle, Agricultural Progress.
It delves into the region's history, provides information about its people and their diverse cultures, examines the state of commerce, and highlights the industrial resources that were significant during that period.
NON-EXPORTABLE
This lot is offered at NO RESERVE
This lot will be shipped in "as is" condition. For further details, please refer to the images of individual lots as reference for the condition of each book.