Pictorial History of China and India;

Comprising a Description of those Countries and their Inhabitants, etc.

edited by Robert Sears 

New York:  Robert Sears, 1854 

Hardback is overall in VERY GOOD- condition.

• Green cloth covers have gilt text and illustration. 
• Boards show some exposure, bumps, scuffing, edgewear.  Corners are worn, with exposed board.  See photos.
• Spine has text and illustration and is scuffed with chipped, frayed ends.  See photos.
• Binding is secure. 
• Pastedowns and feps have some moderate foxing, staining, book plate, owner's marks.  See photos.
• Frontispiece is present and has intact tissue guard, with foxing.
• Foldout maps are present and in good condition.
• Illustrations, engraved plates and in-text figures, are bright and clear.  
• Interior is gently age-toned, exhibits scattered foxing, some smudges.  
• Inside pages are free of writing and intentional marks.
• Text block edges are foxed. 
• PS2025.0717

592 pages. 6 1/4 x 9 3/8 inches

A generally Very Good- copy of this popular 19th century pictorial history of China and India.  Publisher's green cloth, lavishly illustrated in gilt.  Boards show exposure and are worn at extremities.  Interior has scattered foxing, fold-out maps are very good, copious illustrations are clear.  Owner inscriptions at ffep, text block is unmarked.

Robert Sears’ “Pictorial History of China and India,” copyrighted in 1850 and issued in several succesive years, offers an account of China and India, focusing on geography, politics, and topography.  Abundantly illustrated with over 200 engravings as well as two folding maps.  Sears gives a thorough description of Chinese monarchies, the foundation of the Han Dynasty, important contributions and inventions (such as paper), costumes, superstitions, and the rise of the Moguls, the Ming Dynasty, and opium trafficking.  The second half of the work, dedicated to the history of India, gives details on the Hindu religion, Turkish and Mogul conquests in India, Sikh wars, and the rise of the British government in India.

The owner inscriptions on the end papers also tell a story.  Chalburt Richard Fisher (1895-1916) and Cedric Ellis Fisher (1897-1963) were brothers; their family lived in Cheshire County, New Hampshire.  This book was a gift to Chalburt from his maternal grandmother Jennie Smytherman.  Chalburt died in a drowning accident at age 20; it is possible that Cedric later added his own name to the book.  The Silas Cummings' Miscellaneous Library bookplate does not seem to be directly connected to the Fisher family, but the name appears in various records from Cheshire County, New Hampshire.  

Please see photos. More photos available upon request.

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