Daniell, William (illus); Caunter, Revd John Hobart (text) The Oriental Annual, or Scenes in India.
Daniell, William (illus); Caunter, Revd John Hobart (text) The Oriental Annual, or Scenes in India. Various published, 1834-8. 8vo (5 vols). Org. decorative cloth, a.e.g.; frontis in all, additional eng. titles in all, 105 eng. plates after Daniell across the 5 vols (as called for). A vividly illustrated and frequently exciting mix of history and travelogue. Tales of bear attacks, dramatic performances of juggles and conjurers and torrent crossings in Bootan [Bhutan] mix with the history of Moghul Emperors and the architecture of Benares. The immediacy and emotion of the work are the product of the personal experience of both the author and the engraver. Caunter had been a cadet in India before taking up the cloth, whilst Daniell travelled extensively whilst apprenticed to his uncle, Thomas Daniell. Part of Caunter's aim was to bring to the fore the 'Mohammedean history' of India, less well known to the general reader, especially in the time before the Partition created a separate Islamic nation.