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A long-standing European fascination with Asia, from the Middle East to China and Japan, came more sharply into focus during the early modern period, as voyages of exploration gave rise to commercial enterprises such as the East India companies and their attendant colonial activities. This series is a collaborative venture between the Cambridge Library Collection and the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, founded in 1823. The series reissues works from the Royal Asiatic Society's extensive library of rare books and sponsored publications that shed light on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century European responses to the cultures of the Middle East and Asia. The selection covers Asian languages, literature, religions, philosophy, historiography, law, mathematics and science, as studied and translated by Europeans and presented for Western readers.

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103 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Perspectives from the Royal Asiatic Society

Page 2 of 6

The Oriental Collections
  • Consisting of Original Essays and Dissertations, Translations and Miscellaneous Papers
  • Volume 2
  • Edited by William Ouseley
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    21 March 2013
    First published in:
    1798
  • As editor and contributor, William Ouseley (1767–1842) published this three-volume collection of essays between 1797 and 1800. Educated at Paris and Leiden, Ouseley became an honorary fellow of the royal societies of Amsterdam, Göttingen and Edinburgh. He researched extensively on Persia, producing important work on Persian handwriting. Several of his translations of works by fellow orientalist J. L. Burckhardt (1784–1817) are also reissued in this series. Ouseley's Oriental Collections consists of miscellaneous pieces contributed by a number of writers on aspects of Asian history, culture and literature. Volume 2 includes essays on Chinese vocabulary, the Eastern origin of mankind and Persian lyric poetry. Also featured are translations of Arabic travel memoirs and poetry by Hafez, as well as a catalogue of the Turkish, Arabic and Persian manuscripts in the British Museum. The diverse subject matter will appeal to readers interested in oriental scholarship in the late eighteenth century.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 8
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 8 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains more of Jones' legal work, including his pre-India tracts on Islamic laws of succession and inheritance - culturally comparative works debunking prejudiced claims that Islamic cultures denied private property. Also included is his formative 'Essay on the Law of Bailments' (1781), a work still cited in some legal cases today.

A Grammar of the Sungskrit Language
  • To Which Are Added Examples for the Exercise of the Student, and a Complete List of the Dhatoos or Roots
  • Volume 2
  • William Carey
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 February 2013
    First published in:
    1806
  • The Indo-Aryan language of Sanskrit is the primary language of Hinduism and also a scholarly language of Buddhism. Dating back to the second millennium BCE, it is considered to be the parent of most modern languages of India, and remains central to work in Indo-European studies, philology and linguistics today. First published in 1806, this is a comprehensive grammar of Sanskrit, compiled by the Baptist missionary William Carey (1761–1834) during his time in India. Its purpose was to make the language accessible to European learners, presenting its complex systems of verb conjugation, compound words and affixation in a straightforward way. Reissued here in a two-volume set, Volume 2 contains Books 4 and 5 of the work (covering word formation and syntax), a detailed appendix on the roots of Sanskrit words, and an index. Carey's reference works on Marathi and Bengali are also reissued in this series.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 11
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, influencing Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. Volume 11 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains most of Jones' Histoire de Nader Chah (1770), a memoir of the famed Iranian ruler, translated into French from the Persian. Commissioned by the king of Denmark, this was Jones' first publication. Widely praised, it established him as a pre-eminent orientalist.

The Sikh Religion
  • Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors
  • Volume 5
  • Max Arthur Macauliffe
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1909
  • Born and educated in Ireland, Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841–1913) joined the Indian Civil Service in 1862. In 1882 he was promoted to the post of deputy commissioner of the Punjab. But it was after he retired from the civil service in 1893 that he gained public attention. Macauliffe developed a close affinity with Sikhism while in the Punjab, eventually converting to the religion. His translation into English of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, is recognised as the most accurate to date. Following this project, he set to work on this six-volume set, covering the history and philosophy of Sikhism, first published in 1909 and still regarded as the definitive work on the subject. Volume 5 covers the life and compositions of Gobind Singh, the tenth guru, along with the life of Banda Bahadur, who established the first Sikh state.

The Sikh Religion
  • Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors
  • Volume 2
  • Max Arthur Macauliffe
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    06 May 2013
    First published in:
    1909
  • Born and educated in Ireland, Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841–1913) joined the Indian Civil Service in 1862. In 1882 he was promoted to the post of deputy commissioner of the Punjab. But it was after he retired from the civil service in 1893 that he gained public attention. Macauliffe developed a close affinity with Sikhism while in the Punjab, eventually converting to the religion. His translation into English of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, is recognised as the most accurate to date. Following this project, he set to work on this six-volume set, covering the history and philosophy of Sikhism, first published in 1909 and still regarded as the definitive work on the subject. Volume 2 narrates the lives of Angad, Amar Das and Ram Das, the second, third and fourth of the Sikh gurus, with translations of their compositions in the Sikh holy book.

The Sikh Religion
  • Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors
  • Volume 3
  • Max Arthur Macauliffe
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1909
  • Born and educated in Ireland, Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841–1913) joined the Indian Civil Service in 1862. In 1882 he was promoted to the post of deputy commissioner of the Punjab. But it was after he retired from the civil service in 1893 that he gained public attention. Macauliffe developed a close affinity with Sikhism while in the Punjab, eventually converting to the religion. His translation into English of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, is recognised as the most accurate to date. Following this project, he set to work on this six-volume set, covering the history and philosophy of Sikhism, first published in 1909 and still regarded as the definitive work on the subject. Volume 3 narrates the life of Arjun, the fifth guru, with translations of his compositions in the Sikh holy book.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 1, Memoirs of the Life, Writings and Correspondence of Sir William Jones 1
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism, becoming a pioneer in comparative religion. Through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, Jones inspired and influenced Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. These thirteen volumes of his works, published in 1807, begin with a memoir by his friend and editor Lord Teignmouth (1751–1834). Volume 1 explores Jones' heritage and birth through to his departure for India.

History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India, till the Year AD 1612
  • Volume 3
  • Mahomed Kasim Ferishta
  • Translated by John Briggs
  • Published online:
    05 August 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1829
  • The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560–1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785–1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as a comparative chronology of events in Europe and India. Volume 3 continues with coverage of the five Deccan sultanate states from 1518. This includes Briggs' own valuable account of the history of the kings of Golkonda and a chronology of the Portuguese wars in India. The coverage of the Adil Shahi dynasty of Bijapur in the sixteenth century notably draws on Ferishta's first-hand knowledge.

History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India, till the Year AD 1612
  • Volume 1
  • Mahomed Kasim Ferishta
  • Translated by John Briggs
  • Published online:
    05 August 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1829
  • The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560–1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. In the translator's preface, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785–1875) highlights the danger of misconceptions about the people of India and the importance of religious policy in the success or failure of her various governments. Volume 1 includes introductory matter, a chapter on pre-Muslim India, histories of the Ghaznavid kings of Lahore, and information on the rulers of Delhi. Also included is Briggs' valuable comparative chronology of events in Europe and India.

History of the Rise of the Mahomedan Power in India, till the Year AD 1612
  • Volume 2
  • Mahomed Kasim Ferishta
  • Translated by John Briggs
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1829
  • The Persian chronicler Ferishta (1560–1620) composed his great work, published in this four-volume English translation in 1829, at the court of Bijapur - where he spent most of his life - under the patronage of King Ibrahim Adil Shah II. It covers Muslim India from around 975 to 1612 and is notable for its balance, despite Ferishta's close involvement with some of the events and people he records. Valuable additions to the text made by the translator, East India Company officer John Briggs (1785–1875), include genealogical tables and notes, as well as a comparative chronology of events in Europe and India. Volume 2 examines the descendants of Timur (or Tamerlane) and the founding by Babur of the Mughal dynasty in the early sixteenth century. It also contains coverage of the kings of the Deccan to the dissolution of the Bahmani sultanate after 1518.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 13
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 13 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' most critical engagements with Hinduism, including his translations of the Sanskrit Hitópadésa (Aesop-like fables of Hindu mythology) and sacred religious texts such as the Iśa Upanishad. The volume also contains Jones' nine original 'Hymns' to Hindu deities, poems based on Hindu philosophy that influenced Romantics such as William Blake, Robert Southey and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

Introduction à l'histoire du Buddhisme Indien
  • Eugène Burnouf
  • Introduction by Jules Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 February 2013
    First published in:
    1844
  • Eugène Burnouf (1801–52), an eminent French orientalist and scholar of Sanskrit, made groundbreaking contributions to the knowledge of Zoroastrianism and to the deciphering of the Zend and Pāli languages. He was a member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, and of numerous Asiatic societies throughout Europe. When he first published this monumental work of scholarship in 1844, Burnouf established European Buddhist studies on solid foundations. In it, he presents the Indian historical context in which Buddhism developed, as well as its connections and debates with Brahmanism. He also sheds light on the role of the caste system in this religion. To this day, Burnouf's pioneering vision continues to shape our understanding of Buddhism. This second edition was published posthumously in 1876, with an introduction by the French philosopher and journalist Jules Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire (1805–95). It remains of relevance to students of religion, oriental studies and Indian history.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 6
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 6 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' Poeseos Asiaticae Commentariorum (1774). A work of comparative literature after mentor Robert Lowth's De Sacra Poesi Hebraeorum (1753) - in which Lowth established the Old Testament as a masterpiece of oriental literature - Poeseos provides detailed Latin commentary on the language and techniques of Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Turkish poetry.

Essays on the Languages, Literature, and Religion of Nepál and Tibet
  • Together with Further Papers on the Geography, Ethnology, and Commerce of Those Countries
  • Brian Houghton Hodgson
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    21 February 2013
    First published in:
    1874
  • An English civil servant who worked in British India and Nepal, Brian Houghton Hodgson (c.1801–94) was also a specialist in Tibetan Buddhism. First published in 1874, this is a collection of his essays on nineteenth-century Nepal and Tibet, earlier versions of which had appeared in the Journal of the Bengal Asiatic Society and two books of Hodgson's own, later updated for the Phoenix, a monthly magazine for China, Japan and eastern Asia. Diverse in coverage, the essays represent over thirty years' research. Those in Part 1 focus on Buddhism, covering religious practices, writing, literature, attitudes to Buddhism and the differences between Buddhism and Shaivism. The pieces in Part 2 explore other aspects of Nepal and the Himalayas, such as tribal culture, colonisation and commerce. Discussing a range of linguistic, cultural, sociological and economic topics, this collection remains relevant to scholars working in these fields.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 9
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá. Volume 9 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' translation of the Speeches of Isaeus (1779) and perhaps his most influential translation, Sacontalá (1789), a Hindu love fable that explores the depths of Hindu mythology and philosophy. Lauded throughout Europe, Sacontalá would inspire Goethe to write that once it is mentioned, 'everything is said'.

Essays on Indian Antiquities, Historic, Numismatic, and Palaeographic
  • To Which are Added Tables, Illustrative of Indian History, Chronology, Modern Coinages, Weights, Measures, etc.
  • Volume 1
  • James Prinsep
  • Edited by Edward Thomas
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 February 2013
    First published in:
    1858
  • A key figure in the history of Benares (Varanasi), James Prinsep (1799–1840) was instrumental in expanding Western knowledge of Indian civilisation. After briefly studying under Pugin, he became an assay master in Calcutta in 1819, and soon moved to Benares. His talents were many, and within a few years he had completed a detailed map of the city, designed a new mint, engineered a system to improve sanitation and begun studying the inscriptions and coins that helped him to decipher two ancient scripts and to establish the dates of Indian dynasties. Collected in 1858 and edited by the numismatist Edward Thomas (1813–86), these essays are generously illustrated, often in Prinsep's hand, and display the enormous breadth of his knowledge. Volume 1 includes a short biography by his brother, along with articles on coins, relics and archaeological discoveries.

History of the Indian Archipelago
  • Containing an Account of the Manners, Art, Languages, Religions, Institutions, and Commerce of its Inhabitants
  • Volume 1
  • John Crawfurd
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1820
  • Trained as a doctor, John Crawfurd (1783–1868) went on to have a distinguished career in colonial administration with the East India Company. He held senior posts in Java from 1811 to 1816, including that of resident at the court of Yogyakarta. A talented linguist and ethnologist, Crawfurd acquired a sound knowledge of ancient Kawi and contemporary Javanese. Upon his return to Britain in 1817, he became a fellow of the Royal Society and published this three-volume work on the Indonesian islands, principally Java, to great acclaim. Following further service abroad, he published accounts of his various missions in south-east Asia and an encyclopaedic sequel to the present work (all of which are reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection). Volume 1 examines the character and manners of the islanders as well as their arts, sciences, medicine, and agricultural techniques.

Essays on Indian Antiquities, Historic, Numismatic, and Palaeographic
  • To Which are Added Tables, Illustrative of Indian History, Chronology, Modern Coinages, Weights, Measures, etc.
  • Volume 2
  • James Prinsep
  • Edited by Edward Thomas
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 February 2013
    First published in:
    1858
  • A key figure in the history of Benares (Varanasi), James Prinsep (1799–1840) was instrumental in expanding Western knowledge of Indian civilisation. After briefly studying under Pugin, he became an assay master in Calcutta in 1819, and soon moved to Benares. His talents were many, and within a few years he had completed a detailed map of the city, designed a new mint, engineered a system to improve sanitation and begun studying the inscriptions and coins that helped him to decipher two ancient scripts and to establish the dates of Indian dynasties. Collected in 1858 and edited by the numismatist Edward Thomas (1813–86), these essays are generously illustrated, often in Prinsep's hand, and display the enormous breadth of his knowledge. Volume 2 includes essays on coins and philology, with the extensive tables and lists of historical weights and measures, and explanations of Indian chronology.

The Works of Sir William Jones
  • With the Life of the Author by Lord Teignmouth
  • Volume 5
  • William Jones
  • Edited by Lord Teignmouth
  • Published online:
    05 July 2014
    Print publication:
    28 March 2013
    First published in:
    1807
  • A renowned Enlightenment polymath, Sir William Jones (1746–94) was a lawyer, translator and poet who wrote authoritatively on politics, comparative linguistics and oriental literature. Known initially for his Persian translations and political radicalism, Jones became further celebrated for his study and translation of ancient Sanskrit texts following his appointment to the supreme court in Calcutta in 1783. He spent the next eleven years introducing Europe to the mysticism and rationality of Hinduism through works such as his nine 'Hymns' to Hindu deities and his translation of the Sanskrit classic Sacontalá, influencing Romantic writers from William Blake to August Wilhelm Schlegel. Volume 5 of his thirteen-volume works, published in 1807, contains Jones' researches into Indian botany - including the comparative 'Botanical Observations on Select Indian Plants' - coupled with his groundbreaking Grammar of the Persian Language (1771), the work which established Jones as one of the eighteenth century's greatest orientalists.

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