Blagdon, Francis William, and James Hunter

2 volumes bound in one, large folio (22 1/16 x 16 1/2 in.; 560 x 420 mm). 68 vibrantly hand-colored plates, including stipple-engraved portrait frontispiece of Tipoo Sultan, 2 engraved pictorial additional titles, hand-colored stipple-engraved folding plate of "Judges and Court Officials," and 64 hand-colored aquatint plates, text watermarked 1820, plates watermarked 1827-1828; preliminary titles separated, first chipped with foxing, one plate with closed tear to margin ("A View of Part of St. Thome Street, Fort St. George"), not affecting image, one with minor discoloration ("Anchshur"), 2 with smudging ("East View of Bangalore, With the Cypress Garden, from Pagoda," and "The South Entrance into the Fort of Ditto"), very occasional and minor spotting, generally not affecting images. Quarter black morocco over brown boards, spine with raised bands in seven compartments, gilt text to second and fourth, others with repeat decoration in gilt, black morocco label to upper cover, gilt-lettered with elaborate boarder in gilt, all edges speckled; boards detached.

Abbey, Travel 425 (cf. 424); cf. Lipperheide 1478; cf. Tooley (1954) 93

Blagdon and Hunter's works were originally published separately, then in parts (1802-1805), and then as one volume from 1805. The skilfully colored images present here richly depict the dramatic landscapes of India as well as scenes of everyday life. Arguably one of the finest examples of the early colorplate books of the region.