London's Peter Harrington launches its first 'dedicated catalogue on works from India'

THE FIRST English translation of the 'Adi Granth', or 'Holy Scriptures of the Sikhs', is among a series of rare Indian books and manuscripts made available on Wednesday (24) by a London-based antiquarian books dealer.

Ernest Trump's translation of the Sikh holy texts is believed to be the first into any foreign language and forms part of a 40-item collection of what is described as "colourful glimpses" into life in the Indian Subcontinent during British colonial rule as part of Peter Harrington's new catalogue.

Sikhs and Sikhism feature prominently, including several travel narratives set in the kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and military handbooks dedicated to the customs of the Sikhs -- hailed in them as "the bravest of brave soldiers".

"We have seen an increased interest in the last 20 years from collectors of works from the Indian Subcontinent, and the demand for 19th and early 20th century British accounts of this fascinating period in colonial history continues to attract a core group of collectors based both in the region and diaspora in the UK and beyond,," said Glenn Mitchell, senior book specialist at Peter Harrington.

"Topics that remain enduringly collectable include those focused on military exploits, colonial exploration, seminal religious texts, ethnographical, geographical, botanical and zoological accounts, and of course administrative, historical and political works."

One of the striking offerings is Wanderings of a Pilgrim by Fanny Parks that gives a unique insight into 19th-century India based on the journal and sketches of a woman who travelled "up the Jumna River to Agra, and up the Ganges to Fatehgarh, and spending nearly a year visiting Cawnpore, Meerut, Delhi, and Landour in the Himalayas".

Other interesting inclusions cover subjects such as arboriculture or the study of trees, serpent worship in the region, Buddhist rock cut temples and big game hunting for wild boars, tigers, buffaloes and bears.

Unique military memoirs are another highlight, including pen and ink cartoons depicting the misadventures of a newly arrived young military officer in India in the mid-19th century, and a novelisation of the events written by Captain Lakshmi, the woman appointed by Subhas Chandra Bose as commander of the pre-independence Indian National Army's Rani of Jhansi Regiment -- the first ever all-female infantry unit in military history.

"While we have curated selections on Asia in the past, this is our first dedicated catalogue on works from India," said Pom Harrington, owner of Peter Harrington.

"The wealth of rich illustrations, lithographs, maps and coloured plates really lent themselves to creating an interactive and immersive digital-only catalogue that allows our clients to scroll through details and additional images of these fine works.

"Our goal was to create a format that was mobile-friendly and really brought the books to life on mobile devices, as this is where an increasing number of our customers access our content."

Besides online access, Peter Harrington said all the books in the catalogue, priced upwards of £800, are available for viewing at its central London store, which is open with recommended social distancing guidelines in place for the current coronavirus lockdown.