Authenticity

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Lot No :

TWO SIGNED BOOKS BY NIRAD CHAUDHURI [1897-1999] + 1 LETTER


Estimate: Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 ( $290-$435 )


a)
TITLE: A Passage to England
AUTHOR: Nirad C. Chaudhuri
PUBLISHER: MacMillan and Company Limited
PLACE: London
YEAR: 1959
EDITION: First
NO.OF PAGES: viii + 229
BINDING: Orange cloth lettered gilt on black to the spine along with dust jacket covered in Mylar
SIZE:
Height: 22.3 cm
Width: 14 cm
Depth: 1.3 cm

With a long signed hand-written statement by Chaudhuri dated Oxford 30/6/90. It reads:
"I am a man both brought up and living in two cultures - the Hindu and the European. Unless I had done this since almost my birth, I could not have written this book on England after a stay of five weeks. It records a life-time's dreaming confirmed by five weeks of experience."

Evidently, this was presented to a visitor after a personal meeting since the previous owner has written a 3-page adulatory note on the meeting on the rear free endpapers.
Together with 2 original Press cuttings [Part 1 of a long piece in a British newspaper by Chaudhuri titled 'India Retains Her Distrust'] and a review of this book by Christine Brooke-Rose.

+

A 1-page typed letter signed in full by Nirad Chaudhuri dated June 27, 1957, written to C.J.P. Beatty on a blue sheet with printed letterhead "P & O Buildings, Nicholson Road, Delhi - 6" talking about his BBC broadcasts and his recent visit to England which culminated in A PASSAGE TO ENGLAND.

b)
TITLE: Thy Hand, Great Anarch!
SUBTITLE: India: 1921-1952
AUTHOR: Nirad C. Chaudhuri
PUBLISHER: Chatto & Windus
PLACE: London
YEAR: 1987
EDITION: First
NO.OF PAGES: xxviii + 979
BINDING: Hardbound with dust jacket
SIZE:
Height: 22 cm
Width: 14.7 cm
Depth: 5 cm

Signed on front flyleaf .br.
Price unclipped [25 pounds].
With a photocopy of a long review of the book by William Dalrymple in TLS for July 23, 1999.

CONDITION:
This lot will be sold in "as is" condition.
There may be some minor tears/creases scratches, or holes commensurate with age that may not be visible in the images.

The books on sale in this auction are rare, out-of-print and otherwise collectable, dating from the 19th century onwards. The technology and material for printing and binding books have evolved over the last few centuries. From being the exclusive preserve of Clergy and Kings to an item of everyday application, the availability and use of books have also evolved over time. Books age over time and deterioration in a book's condition depends on many factors, including the original materials used and conditions of usage over time. Books will often show signs of foxing, fading, shelf-ware or dust jacket damage through usage. Prolonged storage may also cause wormhole damage or water stains.

The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of ageing. Condition requests can be obtained via email. Any condition statement given, as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Storyltd shall have no responsibility for any error or omission.