Asiatick Researches: Or, Transactions of the Society, Instituted in Bengal, for Inquiring into the History and Antiquities, the Arts, Sciences, and Literature, of Asia. Volume the Second.

Calcutta: Printed and Sold By Manuel Cantopher. Very Good with no dust jacket. 1790. First Edition. Hardcover. Professionally rebacked by Barbara Schmelzer, preserving original endpapers, and with remnant of original leather spine laid down. Moderate chips and scrapes to leather boards, with moderate losses of leather at corners of boards. Corners of boards strengthened by conservator with Japanese tissue paper. A 1" tear to the folding plate of the Hindoo Lunar Mansions. Pages 268-269 are transposed with pages 272-273. ; The second volume only of "Asiatick Researches" (the name later changed to "Asiatic Researches"). The scarce Calcutta first edition, preceding the London editions. [iv], 502, [2] pages + 14 plates (5 folding). Pages 501-502 have a list of the Society's members at the end of the year 1790. The final leaf has "Corrections" on the recto, and is blank on the verso. Quarto size. Page dimensions: 288 x 220mm. Signature on front endpaper of C. Poulett Harris. Contemporary full calf boards with gilt decoration to borders. Rebacked with new calf spine with remnant of original spine laid down. Of special interest in this volume are "An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, by Father Giuseppe, Prefect of the Roman Mission. - Communicated by John Shore, Esq." on pp. 307-322, and the president Sir William Jones' fourth, fifth and sixth anniversary discourses, "On the Arabs", "On the Tartars", and "On the Persians". The plates are as follows: (1). Facing page 199: "A Chinese Ode". (2). 205: Large folding table of Persian verbs, printed on both sides. (3). 206: Large folding table of Persian verbs, printed on both sides. (4). 249: Astronomical Diagram. (5). 250: Astronomical Diagram. (6). 263: Astronomical Diagram. (7). 273: Astronomical Diagram. (8). 293: "The Hindoo Lunar Mansions", a large folding plate with 28 engravings. This plate has some wear at the folds where it protrudes a little from the text block. (9). 303: "Oriental Zodiac", a folding plate.(10). 338: Two illustrations, of Roman coins, and of the Indian Sphinx. (11). 361: The Lac Insect. (12). 391: Sanskrit. (13). 405: "Jatamansi, or Indian Spikenard". A botanical illustration. (14). 470: "Abstract of a Meteorological Register", a folding plate with two tables. [References: Shaw 172, who notes that the despite the date of 1790 on the title page, the volume was ready until January 1791. Shaw also notes Jones' observation in his Sixth Anniversary Discourse that the price of the first volume was not more than the annual contribution towards the charges of the Royal Society paid by its fellows - "In vain shall we collect the most interesting papers, if we cannot publish them occasionally without exposing the Superintendents of the Company's Press, who undertake to print them at their own hazard, to the danger of a considerable loss."].; 4to 11" - 13" tall .