After adding the majestic sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh to his collection of Indian and Sikh history, Calgary business magnate Bob Dhillon has acquired over a hundred rare Indian books at an auction held in the England on October 22nd.
“As you know, I believe most of our Indian historical artifacts are in England in museum basements and private collectors homes,” Dhillon mentioned in a press release.
Following is the list of the books bought at the auction:
Lot Number 56
INDIA - CUNNINGHAM'S HISTORY OF THE SIKHS - A History of the Sikhs, From the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej, by Joseph Davey Cunningham, 1853, second edition, 473pp, later cloth. Rare 1853 edition. The book is widely seen as the epitome of Sikh study.
Lot Number 66
DULEEP SINGH & THE ANNEXATION OF THE PUNJAB - The Annexation of the Punjab and the Maharajah Duleep Singh, by Major Evans Bell, 1882, First Edition, 108pp, original red embossed cloth with gilt titles to front and spine.
Lot Number 74
INDIA - MEMOIRS OF MAHARAJAH DULEEP SINGH'S GUARDIAN - Lady Login's Recollections, Court Life and Camp Life 1820 -1904, by E. Dalhousie Login, 1916, first edition, 340pp, original cloth. Colour frontis of Lady Login, tissue protected and a further 8 b/w illus. + including a photo of Duleep Singh, John Login and Lady Login.
Lot Number 78
PRESENTATION COPY OF THE HISTORY OF SIMLA - Simla, Past and Present, by Edward J. Buck, second edition, 342pp, original pictorial cloth, Signed presentation inscription from the author.
Lot Number 102
REVISED HISTORY OF THE SIKHS BY CUNNINGHAM - A History of the Sikhs, From the Origin of the Nation to the Battles of the Sutlej, Joseph Davey Cunningham, ed. by H.L.O. Garrett, 1918, revised edition, 429pp, original cloth.
Lot Number 111- 4 Books
INDIA - RARE M'GREGORS HISTORY OF THE SIKHS –
Book: The History of the Sikhs containing an account of the War between the Sikhs and the British in 1845-46 by W.L.M'Gregor, volume II only, first edition. The volume covers from the death of Runjeet Singh, the reign of Kuruck Singh, Naunihal Singh and Sher Singh, the accession of Duleep Singh, the battles of Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Sobraon, and conclusion of war;
Book: Indian Paintings in the Punjab Hills;
Book: Punjab Land Administrations Act;
Book: Punjab PWD Code.
Lot Number 120
INDIA - WATSON'S PEOPLE OF INDIA - The People of India, A series of photographic illustrations of the races and tribes of Hindustan, originally prepared under the authority of the government of India and reproduced by order of the secretary of state for India in council, with descriptive letterpress by Col. Meadows Taylor, Ed. by J. Forbes Watson and Sir John William Kaye, 1872, Volume 5, re-bound with original label to spine.
Lot Number 134
INDIA - RARE BOOKS ON THE SIKH WARS - Three books on the Sikh campaigns –
Panjab on the Eve of the First Sikh Wars, A documentary study of the political, social and economic conditions of the Panjab as depicted in the daily letters written chiefly from Lahore by British Intelligencers during the period from 30 December 1843 to 31 October 1844, Ed. by Hari Ram Gupta, 1956, first edition, 555pp;
From Recruit to Staff Sergeant, by N.W. Bancroft, 1979, reprint, 97pp;
From Sepoy to Subedar Being The Life And Adventures Of Subedar Sita Ram, A Native Officer Of The Bengal Army, Written And Related By Himself, Edited By James Lunt, Illustrated By Frank Wilson.
Lot Number 143
INDIA - ILLUSTRATED DELHI DURBAR OF 1903 - History of the Delhi Coronation Durbar held on the First of January 1903 to Celebrate the Coronation of His Majesty King Edward VII Emperor of India, Compiled from official papers by order of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, by Stephen Wheeler, 1904, first edition, 347pp, original cloth, with photogravure plates includes portraits of the Royal family, Maharaja of Patiala, Nabha, Kashmir and many of the Indian princely states.
Lot Number 165
INDIA - THE FRENCH IN THE SIKH DURBAR IN THE PUNJAB - La Presence Francaise Dans Le Royamue Sikh Du Penjab 1822-1849, Jean-Marie Lafont, 1992, 553pp.
Lot Number 167
INDIA - BOUND FRENCH JOURNALS ON THE SIKHS - Le Magasin Pittoresque, Quatrieme Annef, 1836, 412pp, bound in half calf. An Early French journal, bound with all the volumes for 1836, includes numerous engravings of the Sikhs and the Punjab, including Golden Temple, Amritsar, and the Sikh Gurus. Rare.
Lot Number 168
INDIA – EARLY ACCOUNT OF RANJIT SINGH BY VIGNE - A personal narrative of a visit to Ghuzni, Kabul, and Afghanistan, and of a residence at the court of dost Mohamed. A rare and contemporary account of the Sikh Court of Lahore and Maharajah Ranjit Singh during his lifetime;
Leaves from a Viceroy's Note-Book and other papers, Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, 1926, First Edition, 414pp, Orig. Cloth;
Life of Sir General Hope Grant, With selections from his correspondence, Ed. by Henry Knollys, 1894, First Edition, vol 1 only, 359pp, Orig. Cloth;
The India we Served, Sir Walter Roper Lawrence, 1929, 317pp, Orig. Cloth;
Thirty Five Years in the Punjab 1858-1893 by G.R. Elsmie, 1908, Orig cloth.
Lot Number 170
INDIA - ROMANTIC TALES FROM THE PUNJAB - A collection of books on India – Romantic Tales from the Punjab, With illustrations by Native Hands, Rev. Charles Swynnerton, 1903, First Edition, 483pp, Orig. Cloth;
The Military Life of H.R.H. George, Duke of Cambridge, by Colonel Wiloughby Verner, 1905, First Edition, 2 vols, 453pp 464pp, Orig. Cloth;
Letters from India, with a memoir by his wife Anna Booth Stratton and an introductory note by Professor Bloomfield, by Alfred William Stratton, 1908, First edition, 368pp, original cloth;
The Reminiscences of Lieut.-Col Thomas Ruddiman Stuart, Ed. by his wife, 1900, 218pp, Orig. Cloth;
The Short Cut to India, The Record of a Journey along the Route of the Baghdad Railway, David Fraser, 1909, First Edition, 381pp, Orig. Cloth, Loosely inserted map;
The Life and Times of General Sir James Browne, R.E. K.C.B., K.C.S.I. (Buster Browne), General J.J. McLeod Innes, 1905, First Edition, 371pp, Orig. Cloth;
Lumsden of the Guides, A sketch of the Life of Lieut.-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, K.C.S.I., C.B., with selections from his correspondence and occasional papers, General Sir Peter S. Lumsden and George R. Elsmie, 1900, Second Edition, 336pp, Orig. Cloth;
An Heroic Bishop, The Life-story of French of Lahore, Eugene Stock, 1913, First Edition, 127pp, Orig. Cloth;
Verses Written in India, Sir Alfred Lyall, 1840, Second Edition, 138pp, Orig. Cloth;
Under Ten Viceroys, The Reminiscences of a Gurkha, with 16 illustrations, Major-General Nigel Woodyatt, 320pp, Orig. Cloth.
Tales of the Punjab, Told by the People by Annie Flora Steel with illustrations by Lockwood Kipling, London 1894, orig cloth
Lot Number 187
Volume 1 The History of India, by Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone, 1841, first edition 2 volumes, 620pp 688p, original cloth, loose front cover on volume 2.
Volume 2 The History of India, by Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone, 1841, first edition 2 volumes, 620pp 688p, original cloth, loose front cover on volume 2.
Volume 1: Life of the Marquess of Dufferein and Avav by Sir Alfred Lyall. Volume 2: Life of the Marquess of Dufferein and Avav by Sir Alfred Lyall.
Lot Number 201
INDIA - RANJIT SINGH & RULERS OF INDIA - Three volumes of Rulers Of India,
The Earl Of Auckland, by Captain L.J. Trotter, 1893, First Edition, 216pp, Original Cloth;
The Marquess Of Dalhousie, by Sir William Wilson Hunter, 1890, First Edition, 228pp, Original Cloth;
Ranjit Singh, by Sir Lepel Griffin, 1892, First Edition, 219pp, Original Cloth.
Lot Number 204
INDIA - RUDYARD KIPLING & INDIA - Kim, by Rudyard Kipling, 1900, 1901, 1958, original Cloth;
Wee Willie Winkie, And Other Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, Ninth Edition, 104pp, Original;
From Sea To Sea And Other Sketches, Letters Of Travel, by Rudyard Kipling, 1922, Vol 2, 438pp, Original Cloth;
Departmental Ditties And Other Verses, by Rudyard Kipling, 1899, 96pp;
Rudyard Kipling And His World, by Kingsley Amis, 1975, First Edition, 128pp Card Covers;
Rudyard Kipling With 114 Illustrations, by Kingsley Amis, 1975, First Edition, 128pp, Card Covers;
Rudyard Kipling A Character Study, Life, Writing And Literary Landmarks, by R. Thurston Hopkins, 1921, Third Edition Rewritten, 251pp, Original Cloth;
Kipling And His Soldiers, by Patrick Braybrooke, 1926, First Edition, 180pp, Original Cloth;
Rudyard Kipling, A Criticism, by Richard Le Gallienne, 1900, First Edition, 163pp, Original Cloth
Lot Number 205
INDIA - HISTORY OF PUNJAB & SIKHS –
History Of The Punjab, And Of The Rise, Progress, & Present Condition Of The Sect And Nation Of The Sikhs, 1846, First Edition, Volume 2 only, 395pp, Original Cloth, Title Page;
The Life Of Charles, Lord Metcalfe, by Edward Thompson, First Edition, 439pp, Original Cloth;
Some Personal Experiences, by Sir Bampfylde Fuller, 1930, First Edition, 330pp, Original Cloth;
Lumsden Of The Guides, A Sketch Of The Life Of Lieut-Gen. Sir Harry Burnett Lumsden, K.C.S.I, C.B., With Selections From His Correspondence And Occasional Papers, by General Sir Peter S. Lumsden, 1899, First Edition, 333pp, Original Cloth.
Lot Number 240
INDIA - SIKH BOOK COLLECTION –
Source Material on the Punjab, by Malik Ahmad Nawaz, 1979;
The History of the Sikhs, Containing the lives of the Gooroos; the History of the Independent Sirdars, or Missuls, and the life of the Great Founder of the Sikh Monarchy Maharajah Runjeet Singh, by W.L. M'Gregor, 1979, 1 Volume;
Sketch of the Sikhs, by Lt. Col. Malcolm, 1986;
The Court and Camp of Ranjeet Singh, Illustrated with 16 engravings, by W.G. Osborne, 1973;
Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab from 1819 to 1825, by William Moorcroft and George Trebeck, 1979, 2 Volumes;
Letters from India, Describing a Journey in The British Dominions of India, Tibet, Lahore, and Cashmere, during the Years 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831 undertaken by order of the French Government, by Victor Jacquemont, 1979, 2 Volumes;
Soldier and Traveller, Memoirs of Alexander Gardner, Colonel of Artillery in the Service of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, by Major Hugh Pearse, 1989;
The History of the Sikhs, by W.L. M'Gregor, 1979;
Travels in the Panjab, Containing A Particular Account of the Government and Character of the Sikhs, by Baron Charles Hugel, 1995;
The Settlement Literature of the Greater Punjab: A Handbook, by Clive Dewey, 1991;
Armies of the 19th Century: The British in India 1825 to 1859, by John French, 2006;
British Relations With The CIS-Sutlej States 1809-1823, by Mian Bashir Ahmed Farooqi, 1993.
Lot Number 245
INDIA - BOOKS ON PUNJAB & SIKHS –
The Punjab Chiefs, by Sir Lepel H. Griffin, 1993, 3 Volumes in 1;
The Punjaub, Being A Brief Account Of The Country Of The Sikhs, by Lt-Colonel Henry Steinbach, 1976;
Despatches And General Orders Announcing The Victories Achieved By The Army Of The Sutlej Over The Sikh Army, At Moodkee, Ferozeshah, Aliwal & Sobraon, 1989;
Punjab Unrest Before And After, by H.N. Mitra; The Grand Trunk Road In The Punjab, by K.M. Sarkar, 1986;
The Raja's Of The Punjab, Being The History Of The Principal States In The Punjab And Their Political Relations With The British Government, by Lepel H. Griffin, 1998;
History Of The Panjab Hill States, by J. Hutchison J. Ph Vogel, 1994, 2 Volume;
Circumstances Leading To The Annexation Of The Punjab, by Jagmohan Mahajan, 1949;
The Punjab And The War, Compiled By M.S. Leigh, 1997;
The Life Of The Marquis Of Dalhousie, by William Lee-Warner, 1972, 2 Volumes;
British Relations With The CIS-Sutlej States 1809-1823, by Mian Bashir Ahmed Farooqi, 1986;
Trial Of Raja Lal Singh The Lahore Minister, by R.R. Seth, 1993.
Lot Number 290
INDIA & PAKISTAN - Lahore Durbar of 1894 Two fine albumen photographs, the first inscribed on mount 'The March Past, Lahore Durbar Nov 1894' mounted, measures 266mm x 200mm; the second inscribed 'Viceroys Camp, Lahore Durbar, Nov, 1894' mounted, measures 295mm x 190mm, the reverse has photo inscribed: A squadron XI Hussar, March 1895, and another XI Hussars in South Africa.
Lot Number 301
INDIA & PAKISTAN - Fort of Attock, Punjab - A 19th century photograph of the Fort at Attock and the Indus River, by Kennedy, c. 1880-90s, unmounted, 271mm x 205mm, with a smaller photograph of the Attock Bridge. (2) The fort was built at Attock Khurd during the reign of Akbar the Great from 1581 to 1583 under the supervision of Khawaja Shamsuddin Khawafi to protect the passage of the Indus. It played a prominent role in Afghan - Sikh Wars during the Battle of Attock.
