THE HISTORY OF SUMATRA: Containing an Account of the Government, Laws, Customs,

London 1783, Payne. Contemporary full leather, neatly re-backed, re-cornered, upper/lower edges bit worn, usual wear, else clean, very solid copy, 19 fine copper etchings, large folded etched map, index, 20.5 x 26.5 cm.FIRST EDITION William Marsden [1754-1836] was the first Englishman to study the Malayan area with great interest. He served some eight years with the East India Company in Sumatra, and later was one of the original founders of the Royal Asiatic Society. In 1812 he published a grammar and a dictionary of the Malay language [1812], and his later translation of Marco Polo in 1818. This HISTORY OF SUMATRA was the first serious English language attempt to fully describe that great island just off the coast of the Malayan peninsula. Marsden studied and learned Malayan, giving him a keen insight to the land and peoples of that area like no other Englishman. * This superb and early essay addresses a vast number of aspects of the late 18th century Sumatra, including a very good general description of the geological features, minerals, volcanoes, surf & tides, the inhabitants, clothing ornaments, women's dress, ornaments on virgins, filing of teeth, villages, buildings, utensils, food, agriculture, rice, coconut, betel, dye stuffs, a list of trees, fruits, flowers, medicinal shrubs and herbs. This section is of major use, as it addresses the medical plants and their use for curing illness. Animals, beasts, birds, insects, commercial products: pepper, camphor, caffia [cinnamon], cotton, rattan, coffee, gum, turpentine, varieties of wood: ebony, pine, sandal, eagle or aloes, teak, iron-wood, Banyan, &c. Minerals: gold, tin, copper, sulphur, other metals, bees-wax, ivory, bird nests and others. Arts and manufactures: art of medicine, sciences, arithmetic, geography, astronomy, and music. * Also essays on Malay language, its characters used, peculiar characters, specimens of language and alphabet, with charts; comparative state of Sumatran civil society, government, summary of the various laws, customs, power of the chiefs among the Rejangs, influence of Europeans. Remarks on the elucidation of the various laws and customs, modes of pleading, nature of evidence, oaths, inheritance, outlawry: theft, murder, compensation, account of feud, debts & slavery. Modes of marriage, customs, festivals, polygamy, divorce, incest, adultery, number of wives, purchase of wives; gaming, cock fighting, dice, opium smoking, effects of, piracy. Custom of chewing Betel, children, names, circumcision, funerals, religion, funerals, superstitions, veneration of ancestor's tombs. * The country of Lampoon, its inhabitants, language, government, wars, peculiar customs & religion. Malay governments: Empire of Menangcabow, extent of the Sultan's ancient & present power, his titles, literature and arts, conversion to Mahometanism [sic], constitution, states, Bencooler, Indrapour, Anac Soongey, Palembang, Jambee &c. The country of Batta, its productions, inhabitants, manners, government and some extraordinary customs. Kingdom of Achen, present state, commerce, air and soil, inhabitants, government, revenues, modes of punishments, history and the countries adjacent, from the period of their discovery by Europeans down to 1704. With lucid conclusions. * This is no ordinary late 18th century book, but rather the most comprehensive and copious primary resource on Sumatra done to date of publication, and has stood as the standard and classic work on this great Island and her people. * A NOTE ON CONDITION This copy has been professionally rebacked at an early date, perhaps a hundred or more years ago, retaining the raised bands, along with the four corners reworked at the same time. There is some leather oil bleed-through on the inside edges of the end-papers and first fly-leaf [front & back] from the original leather binding. The rebinding was done with the idea to preserve the original leather as much as possible. The lower edge of the front & rear covers are rubbed through, but the balance of the old leather binding is solid and intact. There is neat red pen underscore throughout, to emphasize important passages. The balance of the text is quite clean with a faint hint of occasional tiny fox spots which is of no major concern. This work is in its original large size, and printed on heavy-laid paper and is otherwise quite clean, it is very solid copy. It is complete with the index, which is often missing from other copies. The large folding map is 64 x 27.5 cm., has some pen underscore and outline with annotations perhaps showing the trek of the author's journey; a small dark spot where some old tape was, with a mend behind that, else folded to fit inside the book. We strive to be over-critical of our books of this period as a professional standard. In actuality, the book is in a bit better condition that we describe, going to extremes to point out any defects worthy of mention. By and large a good and very solid copy ! * REFERENCES: Per Hill, p.193: "Marsden's literary reputation was assured by the publication of his book, in 1783. It was welcomed in the Quarterly Review by Robery Southey as a model of descriptive composition." * Cox I p.300 * Howgego M55 * DNB 36, pp. 206-7 * Graesse IV, p.417. * Bastin-Brommer pp.2-3, and note 40 for more on these plates. * Hill p. 193. * .