Offprints of articles and other publications on Indian antiquities and archaeological research, mainly written by John Henry Rivett-Carnac (1838-1923), a British employee of the Indian Colonial Service and scholar of Indian prehistory. Most were published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal or in the Proceedings of the Asiatic Society in Bengal, with Rivett-Carnacs publications on Indian rock art and archaeology especially well-represented. He wrote on several kinds of rocks, such as monoliths, gorges, tumuli, cup-marks, ancient rock carvings, etc.
This compilation of rare publications, predominately by John Henry Rivett-Carnac on Indian prehistory, archaeology and antiquities, gives insights into Indian history and antiquity, but also into the 19th-century research on this topic and the efforts of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, some of whose Proceedings are included. This, next to the large number of plates and the interesting annotations, makes this an exceptional compilation of Rivett-Carnacs work illucidates 19th-century British oriental studies in India.
With many inscriptions, all by the same hand, a hand-written index, markings in the text with blue and red pencil and some drawings on the back of the plates and on the blanco leaves, which shows that this book was probably intensively used. Binding slightly worn, green cloth a little stained, spine worn and lacking some pieces of the black morocco, corners a little bumped. Some pages pasted together. A compilation of rare archaeological research on many aspects of the prehistoric remains of India. The Cambridge history of India I, p. 693; a list of titles with more detailed references available on request.