An account of the war in India between the English and French, on the Coast of Coromandel: From the Year 1750 to the Year 1760

Richard Owen Cambridge, An Account of the War in India, between the English and French, on the Coast of Coromandel, from the Year 1750 to the Year 1760. Together with a Relation of the late Remarkable Events on the Malabar Coast and the Expeditions to Golconda and Surat, with the Operations of the Fleet. Illustrated with Maps, Plans, &c. The Whole Compiled from Original Papers, London: printed for T. Jefferys, at the corner of St. Martin’s Lane, Charing Cross, 1761

xxxiii+270+[2]+15+[1]+48+xix+[1] pages, 19 plates, maps and plans, many folding, including an extra plan of Pondicherry at the end not called for; later full polished calf, handsomely executed, the boards ruled in gilt with a plain panel design, the spine finely gilt-tooled in compartments with repeated fleurons and corner ornaments, lettered in gilt on a red morocco spine label (“A Narrative of the Campaign in India”), with additional gilt author lettering (“Dirom”) and date (“1793”) at the foot. Housed in a fitted custom marbled clamshell case, with a green leather spine and corners, the spine is gilt-decorated and lettered, and the case is lined in green cloth.
10.25 x 8.25 in (26 x 20.9 cm)

PROVENANCE: The Library of Robert & Maria Travis

The Carnatic Wars Recorded: A Contemporary British Account of Anglo-French Conflict in India, 1750–1760

Published in London in 1761, An Account of the War in India is one of the most substantial contemporary English narratives of the Anglo-French struggle for power in India during the mid-eighteenth century. Written by Richard Owen Cambridge and compiled “from original papers,” the work documents military and naval operations across the Coromandel Coast between 1750 and 1760, with additional coverage of events on the Malabar Coast and expeditions to Golconda and Surat.

Appearing in the immediate aftermath of the Carnatic Wars, the volume reflects a moment when the balance of power in India was decisively shifting in Britain’s favour. Cambridge’s account synthesises campaign narratives, fleet movements, and regional theatres of conflict into a coherent imperial chronicle intended for a British readership increasingly conscious of India’s strategic and commercial importance. The announcement of accompanying maps and plans underscores the work’s documentary ambition and its alignment with contemporary practices of military and geographic recording.

As a primary printed source, the book occupies a significant place in the historiography of early British India, bridging military history, colonial administration, and print culture. Copies in sound condition are increasingly uncommon on the market, particularly examples retaining their full illustrative complement, making the present work of sustained interest to collectors and institutions concerned with the origins of British imperial authority in South Asia.

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