Tennent, Sir James Emerson and others

2 volumes, small folio (330 x 202mm.), including c.160 drawings and watercolours, 49 albumen prints, c.77 letters, 10 prints and 8 palm leaf fragments, manuscript list of contents by Tennent bound at front of each volume, uniform nineteenth-century half vellum over green papered boards by Marcus Ward & Co. of Belfast and Dublin, flat spines gilt with black morocco labels, bindings very slightly rubbed and dust-soiled

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

An important collection of manuscript notes, correspondence, watercolours and photographs on Ceylon, which were the major source for Tennent's encyclopaedic work: Ceylon: an Account of the Island, Physical, Historical, and Topographical (London, 1859, 2 volumes). Tennent's Ceylon was so successful that it ran to five editions in eight months, and remained the standard work on Ceylon into the twentieth-century. The drawings and watercolours, by various artists, include over 55 by the Northern Irish artist Andrew Nicholl R.H.A., who was patronised by Tennant; other artists include W. Fairholme, W. Ferguson, Miss Brunker, John Basley, H. de Sylva, A. Worms, and W. Mercer. The photographs in these volumes are among the earliest taken in Ceylon and show topographical views, tribal objects, and portraits of native peoples. Apart from Tennent himself, the authors of the notes and letters include C. Campbell, W.D. Cooley, H. Marshall, G.H. Cripps, Captain Niell, and Sir John Pakington.