From the library of a protagonist in the war. Moore's views of Rangoon constitute the finest depiction of events during the first Burmese War. This copy comes from the library of John Ravenshaw, a Director of the East India Company (and later Chairman) at the time of the incursion into Burma.

By the early nineteenth century, the British were firmly established as the masters of India, and following Burmese excursions on its north-eastern frontier, the East India Company declared war on Burma in February 1824. This led to a full-scale seaborne assault on Rangoon, with 11,000 troops, which the EIC (East India Company) army found largely abandoned by its inhabitants. Over the two-year course of the war, both sides suffered huge casualties - on the British and Indian side alone some 40,000 troops were killed, and losses on the Burmese side were even more considerable. The Burmese were eventually defeated and forced to cede territory and pay a huge indemnity to the EIC. Thus began the process which would lead to Burma's annexation by the British Empire in 1889.

The present series of images begins in May 1824, with the first plate showing British vessels preparing to set sail from the Harbour of Port Cornwallis on the Island of Andaman (off the Northeast coast of India). This is followed by the British landing at Rangoon, the storming of various stockades and forts around the city, the capture of a Burman gilt war boat, and naval battles involving dozens of ships. Interspersed with these military spectacles are more traditional scenic views of the country's landscape and pagodas especially the Shwedagon Pagoda (called the Great Dagon Pagoda in the present work), the most sacred Buddhist site in the country.

While Sadlier distinguishes first and second issue points within the first edition based mainly on the presence of the word Proof on various plates, Abbey asserts that it does not seem that the appearance or non-appearance of the word Proof can be made into an issue point, and, in fact, it seems that all the plate differences must be described as states, not issues. Two smaller text booklets were printed separately to accompany the series, but, as Tooley notes, they are rarely present, and each series can be considered complete in and of itself without the text.

First edition; 2 works bound in 1, folio (53 x 39 cm); complete set of 24 fine hand coloured aquatint plates by G. Hunt, H. Pyall, T. Fielding, and Reeve jnr., after J. Moore, F. Marryat, and Capt. Thornton, 3 plates marked Proof in lower right margin, engraved title, engraved subscribers leaf containing large mezzotint vignette by J. Bromley after Thomas Stothard, lithographed facsimile of handwritten subscribers list on four leaves; contemporary half morocco over marbled boards, large lettering piece to upper cover, neatly rebacked and recornered, edges worn, plates clean and fresh, a very good copy.

Abbey (Travel), 404; Bobins 299; Sadleir 1610 & 1610a; Tooley 334.