Antiquarian, Architectural and Landscape Illustrations of The History of Java

4to, 8vo [33.5 x 26.5 & 23 x 14.5 cm]; 3 volumes including plate volume, xlviii, 536; iv, 332, clxxix pp,with large folding map, 92 plates including 10 finely hand-colored aquatints, large folding plan, music notation, other maps, tables, index. original red cloth with title lettering on front cover or spine, plate volume spine worn, mostly lacking, light foxing on some plates, heavier on a few, colored plates clean with tissue guards, text volumes bit faded but near fine, plate volume very good. First printed in 1817 in only 900 copies with only 66 plates, this edition being expanded to 92 plates and map. The plates are reputed to be by William Daniell. The author travelled extensively on the island. Abbey Travel 554; Tooley 391; Hill I, 245. According to Abbey, the atlas of plates was published separately for the second edition which was published in 1830 and printed in only a small number. Bastin p. 5: 'The book was got together with considerable haste and was published in 1817 in two quarto volumes. . .a total of 900 copies were published. Apart from its originality. . .the outstanding feature of the book is its 66 plates, ten or which are coloured aquatints illustrating Javanese life and costume and the Papuan boy who accompanied Raffles to England in 1816'. The plates of this edition include all the plates of the first edition plus additional plates of Javanese antiquities and topography. Prideaux: 'a monumental work. . . still a standard book'. Von Hunersdorff: 'An influential work valued for the author's firsthand observations on the customs and condition of the Javanese under his administration as Governor General during the British occupation of the Dutch East Indies'. The text volumes printed in 1830 have a great deal of data, much in tabular form including statistics, populartion, vocabularies, etc. with much of the author's text describing the people and country in great detail. from natural history and anitiquities to musical instruments, hunting methods, literature, games of skill, language, etc. All of the plates are present according to the plate list.