An Attractively Bound Set of Books Comprising the First 10 Indian Stories of F W Bain Dated 1911-1914

Francis William Bain (1863 – 1940) distinguished himself as a student of Classics when at Christ Church and in 1889 was elected a fellow of All Souls College. In 1892 he entered the Indian Educational Service going on to become a professor of History in the Deccan College of Poonah (Pune), in British India, until his retirement in 1919. He was a writer of fantasy stories that he claimed were translated from Sanskrit the first of which was A Digit of the Moon (1898), which Bain claimed was his translation of part of a Sanskrit manuscript given to him by a brahmin. In the story, the king Súryakánta falls in love with the wise and beautiful princess Anangarágá, who will marry only the suitor who asks her a question she cannot answer. The king, with his clever friend Rasa-kósha, sets off to win the hand of the princess.

During Bain's life, the argument raged about whether the story was truly a translation or whether Bain had written it himself. While some early reviewers took his statements at face value, many did not. A contemporary review said, in part: Though palpably a pretense, they are graceful fancies, and might as well have appeared for what they re-ally are instead of masquerading as "translations". No Hindu, unless of this generation and under foreign influence, ever conceived these stories. Moreover, they are of a strict propriety, whereas original Hindu love stories would put Rabelais's ghost to the blush.

As more of his fantasy books appeared (list below) it became clearer that Bain was writing these stories himself and not translating them. A review of Bubbles of the Foam in 1912 said: Despite the beauty of the whole, there is much in the volume that seems non-Indian; in fact, distinctly Occidental. The phraseology lacks in great part the subtle Sanskrit flavour.

• A Digit of the Moon (1898)

• The Descent of the Sun [1903]

• A Heifer of the Dawn [1904]

• In the Great God's Hair [1905]

• A Draught of the Blue (1905)

• An Essence of the Dusk (1906)

• An Incarnation of the Snow (1908)

• A Mine of Faults (1909)

• The Ashes of a God (1910)

• Bubbles of the Foam (1912)

• A Syrup of the Bees (1914)

• The Livery of Eve (1917)

• The Substance of a Dream (1919)

This handsomely bound collection of Bain’s works contains his first 10 fantasy stories, in various editions, which are published by Methuen & Co and dated 1911-1914. Bound by Hatchards of London in polished red half calf with cloth boards and gilt decorated spines with raised bands. Marbled end papers and top edges gilt.

Externally in very good condition with light shelf wear, some minor marks, occasional minimal loss to gilding and some blemishes to the cloth. The un-gilded page edges are foxed which is repeated internally to varying degrees some of which is heavy, otherwise tightly bound and appearing little used. Each volume measures 17.4 cm high, 11.4 cm deep and have a shelf coverage of just 16 cm. Un-packaged weight some 2.4 kgs.

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