Lot 153: FORBES, James (1749-1819). Oriental Memoirs... written during seventeen years ... in India: including observations on parts of Africa and South America . London: T. Bensley for the author, 1813 [but ?published by Bohn, circa 1839].

FORBES, James (1749-1819). Oriental Memoirs... written during seventeen years ... in India: including observations on parts of Africa and South America. London: T. Bensley for the author, 1813 [but ?published by Bohn, circa 1839].

4 volumes, large 4° (336 x 276mm). Half-titles, portrait and 129 plates, of which 28 hand-coloured on special thick paper. (Occasional light spotting.) Contemporary red morocco, covers with ornate gilt borders, richly gilt spines, black morocco lettering-pieces in second and third compartments, gilt and marbled edges, gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers (extremities lightly rubbed, hinges to vol. I slightly weak).

A FINE LARGE COPY OF BOHN'S EXTRA-ILLUSTRATED ISSUE. The original issue included a portrait and 93 plates. This copy includes 21 hand-coloured natural history plates by W. Hooker after Forbes, 27 uncoloured aquatint plates from Thomas and William Daniell's Oriental Scenery, 6 lithographic plates (4 hand-coloured) and 76 other plates (3 hand-coloured). The Abbey copy includes only 122 plates (including the portrait) which is as called for in Bohn's 1841 Guinea Catalogue: however, with the exception of two cut-down plates (one of which is laid-down), it is difficult to identify which are the 8 additional plates in this copy. Abbey Travel II, 436. (4)