Towards the close of the 19th century, two events of calamitous proportions caused extreme distress in India — the Indian famines of 1896–97 and of 1899–1900 respectively. These famines were accompanied by ravaging epidemics of several diseases such as malaria, cholera and the bubonic plague. Lord Curzon, in his farewell speech at the end of his term as the Viceroy of India in 1905, remarked that "the ryot should be the first and final object of every Viceroy's regard". Sir Stanley Reed observed that the "urban element" dominated politics in India and fundamental deficiencies in the rural economy led to widespread agrarian discontent.
In 1926, a Royal Commission on Indian Agriculture was constituted largely due to the determined insistence of Nagendranath Gangulee, a Professor of Agriculture and Rural Economics at the University of Calcutta from 1921 to 1931. The Chairman of this Royal Commission was Lord Linlithgow who later became the Viceroy of India. As a member of the Royal Commission, Professor Gangulee extensively toured every province in British India to examine the work of the administrative organizations concerned with the welfare and prosperity of the rural population. During this period, Professor Gangulee maintained a detailed journal to record his observations and experiences. Professor Gangulee was also close to Rabindranath Tagore and was often consulted upon agricultural matters in Santiniketan.
We are now pleased to offer one of the rarest First Editions on The Indian Peasant by Professor Nagendranath Gangulee. First published in London in 1935, the format of this book makes for highly engrossing literature as it comprises primarily of extracts from Professor Gangulee's journals as well as letters to his friends in India and abroad, his colleagues at the University of Calcutta, social workers, village headmen, wealthy citizens of Bengal, British statesmen, Congress politicians et al. These offer a profound sense of the complexity and the seriousness of the agrarian issues at the heart of the rural economy in early-20th century India.
Printed on thick, high-quality paper in Great Britain, this rare First Edition was enriched with several superlative photographs of the Indian peasantry. The foreword of this rare book was written by Sir Stanley Reed, the longest serving editor of The Times of India from 1907 until 1924.
Many images of this precious rarity, including the complete table of contents and the list of illustrations, are attached herewith for the perusal of those interested.
THE INDIAN PEASANT AND HIS ENVIRONMENT (The Linlithgow Commission and After)
Author: Nagendranath Gangulee
Foreword by: Sir Stanley Reed
Publisher: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, London, 1935 — Extremely Rare and Out-of-Print First Edition
Printed by: Headley Brothers, London & Kent, Great Britain
Format: Hardcover. Professionally bound in full genuine maroon leather. The title has been embossed in golden lettering on the front cover and on the spine.
Size: 22 cm x 15 cm x 3.7 cm
Pages: xxviii + 230 pages + 8 glossy pages of photographic illustrations. Printed on thick, high-quality paper.
Condition: Pre-owned. Excellent — Near Pristine. Pages clean and unmarked. Binding tight and firm. Slight, natural yellowing/foxing on a few pages owing to age. The inner margins of a select few pages have been carefully and unobtrusively reinforced for future protection.
Emblem: The rarely seen, original emblem of the Oxford University Press featuring an elephant and a tiger flanked by palm trees on either side is present on the bottom right corner of the initial endpaper of this book. The central blank space of this emblem mentions the price in India at the time of publication — a dear sum of Rs. 8/- in 1935. Please refer to the last image attached herewith.
Remarks: The value of this book lies in its extreme rarity for being the First Edition originally published in 1935 in London, and in the peculiarity of its content of seldom documented historical events. Sourced with great difficulty from a private collection, this precious First Edition is extremely hard to find, let alone in such exemplary condition as the one we are offering now.
Please email us on kumarclassicbookpoint@gmail.com for cost and availability, or for any further queries in order to serve you better. Delivery in Mumbai is free.
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