ORIENTAL MEMOIRS: A Narrative of Seventeen Years' Residence in India. Second Edition, Revised by his Daughter, the Countess de Montalembert. In Two Volumes.

London: Richard Bentley., 1834-1835. Later 19th. century half-calf over brown linen, gilt spines. Extremeties a bit rubbed, but a very good set overall. Some occassional foxing to the plates. With the bookplate of Sir H.E.M. James (1846-1923) who worked in the Indian Civil Services and became the Commissioner in Sind.. 3 volumes, 2 volumes (8vo.) of text plus a lg. 4to plate volume. xix,(1), 550,(2); viii, 552,(2)pp. With the final leaf of ads in volume 1 and the final leaf of errata in volume 2. Index. Frontispiece in each volume. The large plate (truncated) volume is titled ILLUSTRATIONS TO ORIENTAL MEMOIRS, With Explanatory Notices. 24pp. of descriptive text, plus 83 engraved plates, of which 24 are finely hand colored. The list of plates has 85 numbers, plates 84 and 85 are listed as the frontispieces in each of the text volumes.

An important set for Forbes' valuable record of life in India, 1765-1782. It first appeared in 1813. The second edition is extensively revised. The 24 hand colored plates are of zoological, and botanical subjects, as well as Indian birds. There is a fabulous color plate of a King cobra. (Inventory #: 9868)