History of Mysore, Vol I; 1930

Volume 1 of ‘Historical Sketches of the South of India, in an attempt to trace the History of Mysoor from the origin of the Hindoo government of that state, to the extinction of the Mohammedan Dynasty in 1799.’ Founded chiefly on 'Indian authorities collected by the author while officiating for several years as political resident at the court of Mysoor’ by Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Wilks. Edited with notes by Sir Murray Hammick (fellow of Kings College London.) Printed in Mysore by the government branch press, 1930. This 3 volume set examined the rise of the Mysore Wodeyar dynasty in the confusion following the fall of Vijayanagara in 1565. Volume 1 takes the story up to 1767.

Background History:
“Classically educated, Mark Wilks (1760–1831) joined the Madras army of the East India Company and would go on to serve as political resident at the court of Mysore from 1803 to 1808. He also later served as governor of Saint Helena from 1813 to 1816, during which time he witnessed the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte…Drawing on state records and his own experiences, he first published this acclaimed three-volume history of the kingdom of Mysore between 1810 and 1817.”
Colonel Mark Wilks was a Manx soldier, historian and East India Company administrator who worked in southern India principally in the princely state of Mysore. He was the acting Resident at the Wodeyar Court and wrote several historical works.

Condition:
Fair condition. Woodcut bookplate of Mary Doreen Wainwright, author of several books on India between the 1950s-70s. Several pages have come loose from binding. Map of Mysore provinces, in attached pocket on backboard. Map in good condition with some splits along folds. Black cloth boards with gilt title along spine. Cracked along both spines, and boards bumped and scuffed with cloth coming away in places.