The History of Java -
Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles
1817 - Printed for Black, London - First Edition
A beautifully presented first edition set of this landmark work one of only 900 copies, finely bound by Riviere and Son, with large original sheets and untrimmed edges. ‘A magnificent survey of the customs, dress, language, religion, culture, and history of the Javanese people as written by Thomas Stamford Raffles, British colonial agent cum Imperial statesman and later founder of modern Singapore.
The marriage of a scientifically original text with beautiful illustrations by an accomplished aquatint engraver resulted in a book about Indonesia of outstanding quality; indeed a masterpiece.’ [Bastin and Brommer] Those illustrations include a include a large (114x44cm) folding linen-backed hand-coloured map ‘Map of Java’ with inset ‘Mineralogical Sketch of the Island of Java’ and an engraved map of the ‘Countries referred to in the Brata Yud’ha &c’, ten finely hand coloured aquatint costume plates engraved by William Daniell who visited the island in 1785 and 1793, two soft-ground etched frontispieces, nine engraved vignettes, and a further fifty five black and white plates which include seven of temples (one of which is double page), two musical scores, ten of alphabets and inscriptions, eight of weapons and tools, two of musical instruments and masks, and twenty six others. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (1781-1826) ‘was interested in every aspect of his subject, and devotes whole sections to Javan ethics, literature, poetry, music and musical instruments, drama, games of skill and methods of hunting, besides the more ordinary matters of interest, population, natural history, religion, antiquities, and the military system. At the end of the second volume a hundred and fifty pages are given up to the comparative vocabularies of Java and the neighbouring islands, and the whole is a unique monument erected by a great ruler to those over whom he rules, and incidentally, to his own honour, stands very high in its own class and the aquatint plates are full of interest’ [Prideaux]  More Details
Price: HK$ 95,000 |
