22 BROOKE, Henry Francis. Private Journal of Henry Francis Brooke, late Brigadier-General commanding 2nd Infantry Brigade Kandahar Field Force, Southern Afghanistan. Dublin: Printed by William Curwen for private circulation only, 1881 rare MEMORIAL TO AN OFFICER WHO FELL AT KANDAHAR First and sole edition, printed “for private circulation among his nearest relations” and inevitably extremely scarce; this a presentation copy from the author’s widow, inscribed on the title page, “Mrs Law, Hers sincerely Annie Brooke, Ashbrooke [Enniskillen], August 9th 1882”. During the Second Anglo-Afghan War, Brooke (1836–1880) was killed saving the life of a brother officer while leading a desperate sortie from Kandahar. The recipient is almost certainly the wife or mother of the Captain Law, Royal Artillery, who served as Brooke’s brigade-major during the war and is mentioned several times in the Journal (“a smart good officer, and I am very glad to have him as my staff officer”, p. 75). Brooke joined the 48th Foot as an ensign in June 1854. In India he served with the 109th Foot, attached to the Bombay Staff Corps. Manvell states that he died in the retreat to Kandahar following the disastrous defeat at Maiwand (27 July 1880) “while endeavouring to save a brother officer, Captain G. M. Cruikshank, Royal Engineers”. His death “received considerable notice at the time”, the Illustrated London News reporting that he was the first “General Officer for twenty-two years . . . who has been killed in action”. Brooke’s journal, intended for his family, was assembled and published by his wife, and covers the period of his service during the Second Anglo- Afghan War, breaking off two days before his death; the appendix comprises letters to Annie from Brooke’s friends and superiors and encomiums from various quarters. An online search of institutional libraries shows four locations only, just British Library in the UK, the others in the US, at California, Minnesota, and Duke; two copies on auction records, the present one and another in 2014. Octavo (213 × 132 mm). Original dark green roan, gilt banded spine, single gilt fillet border to sides, gilt edges, gilt star-patterned endpapers. Mounted Woodburytype portrait frontispiece of Brooke in civilian dress, with tissue
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construct a national self-image based on reconciliation between North and South and incorporation of the West” (Rainey, p. xiii). 2 volumes, quarto (312 × 239 mm). Original brown hard- grain full morocco, decorative blind-tooled and gilt-lettered spines, elaborate floriate borders on sides, gilt-lettered on front covers, richly gilt turn-ins, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Steel-engraved frontispieces and vignette titles, 45 steel-engraved plates, numerous wood-engraved illustrations in the text. Light rubbing skilfully retouched, some foxing at endpapers and lightly thereafter; an excellent copy. Sue Rainey, Creating Picturesque America , 2001. £1,250 [149726]
guard, 3 wood-engraved plans in the text. Neat presentation inscription (dated 1967) on a preliminary blank. Binding professionally refurbished, paper flaw at top corner of pp. 169–72 (not affecting text). A smart copy. ¶ Arthur G. Manvell, “General, Lord Napier of Magdala, Commander- in-Chief, East Indies, and Staff, 1876”, JSAHR Vol. 75, No. 303 Autumn 1997, pp. 165–9; Brian Robson, The Road to Kabul: The Second Afghan War 1878–1881 , 2003. £3,750 [152979] 23 BRYANT, William Cullen (ed.) Picturesque America; or, The Land We Live In . . . With Illustrations on Steel and Wood, by Eminent American Artists. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1872–74 America rendered as crisply as a banknote First edition of this monumental work of celebratory Americana. The majority of the superb plates were engraved by Robert Hinshelwood, a Scottish engraver who emigrated to America in 1835 where he established a considerable reputation for his work on landscapes. His painstaking and highly detailed work was much appreciated not only by the publishing houses that employed him, but also by the Continental Bank Note Company who for a time employed him producing plates for currency. In her recent study, the historian of American graphic arts Sue Rainey notes that the book “enabled Americans, after the trauma of the Civil War, to
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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