Travel
SALE, Lady.
A Journal of the disasters in Affghanistan (sic), 1841-2.
John Murray, London 1843. First edition. 8vo., xvi, 451pp., 2 maps (1 folding), 30 lithographs, light scattered spotting, contemporary red polished calf gilt, lighlty rubbed and worn, a very good copy.
This copy extra-illustrated with 30 of the separately published lithographs of the prisoners, designed to accompany the work. Lady Florentina Sale was the wife of Major-General Sir Robert Henry Sale. She and her daughter and son-in-law remained in Kabul whilst her husband defended Jalalabad, but were forced to join the ill-fated an disastrous retreat in January 1842. During the march, in which thousands of troops and civilians died as a result of the freezing cold and incessant Afghan attacks, her clothes were riddled with bullets and she was twice wounded. Having nursed her son-in-law, Lieutenant Sturt, and then buried him, she was one of a handful taken into captivity by Akbar Khan, leaving the remainder to press on towards Jalalabad and safety. Although her baggage was looted, she was able to keep possession of her diary, which continued through her captivity of some 9 months and which is the basis of this book. Of the 16,000 who had left Kabul, only one, Dr. William Brydon, was to reach Jalalabad. Apart from him, the handful of hostages and a number of sepoys and other Indians who had managed to hide in caves, all were killed. Lady Sale was finaly reunited with her husband in September 1842, a year after being taken into captivity. The Journal also contains an account of the sufferings of Stoddart and Conolly in Bokhara.
Price: £ 950
US Dollar Price: $ 1440
Stock Number: 72854