The Kafirs of the Hindu-Kush.
London. Lawrence & Bullen Ltd., 1896. New Edition. Stock ID #223413 A distinguished soldier, diplomat and Anglo-Indian administrator, Sir George Scott Robertson (1852–1916), journeyed in Kafiristan in 1890-91 living for a year among the "wild" hillmen. When referring to this item please quote stockid 223413.
Coloured folding map (tipped in at rear), 79 full page and text illustrations by A. D. McCormick, xx + 658pp, original decorated polished red cloth, spine gilt-lettered, 24 x 15.5 cm, front free endpaper browned, neat inscription of a previous owner to the front pastedown, manuscript short index tipped in by a previous owner at rear, boards bumped and stained and spine a little sunned, but a good complete copy.
The Kafirs’ polytheistic religion and customs were rapidly disappearing by the time Robertson visited and his work served as one of the most important eyewitness accounts of the pre-Islamic cultures of the Hindu Kush and as valuable historical record of a culture that was quickly being assimilated into the broader Afghan Islamic state. It is one of the last detailed accounts of the Kafir people before they were forced into Islam or eradicated by Afghan forces.
Robertson’s book also provides important historical context for understanding the political dynamics of the Great Game. His observations of the Kafirs’ resistance to the Afghan Amir and his concerns about the potential spread of Islam in the region highlight the intersection of politics, culture, and religion in Central Asia during the 19th century.
The profuse illustrations, are after sketches and watercolours by Arthur David McCormick who was artist on Sir Martin Conway's expedition to the Karakoram subrange of the Himalayas and in 1895 on Clinton T. Dent's expedition to the Caucasus Mountains.
Price: $975.00 AU