The Thugs or Phansigars of India – Sleeman – 1839 | First Edition, Thuggee

The Thugs or Phansigars of India: comprising a history of the rise and progress of that extraordinary fraternity of assassins was authored by W. H. Sleeman and published in 1839. This is the first edition. Sleeman, a British officer stationed in India, compiled testimony and observations regarding the organized group known as the Thuggee. His account highlights conversations with members, descriptions of punishments, religious practices, and omens, alongside discussions of their taxation methods. Issued in duodecimo format with 227 pages, it is a notable early Western record concerning ritual strangulation societies associated with the worship of Kālī. This Philadelphia edition reflected wide interest in India and criminology during the early nineteenth century.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Thugs or Phansigars of India : comprising a history of the rise and progress of that extraordinary fraternity of assassins
• Author(s): W. H. Sleeman
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: Carey & Hart (Philadelphia)
• Edition: First edition, 1839
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Hardcover
• Size:  7.25 in x 4.75 in (18.4 cm x 12.1 cm)
• Collation: 227 pp
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • Conversations on women
  • Murder and punishments
  • Superstitions concerning cows
  • Omens and practices
  • Thuggee taxation
• Provenance: provenance
• Reference(s): references

Condition:

The book is bound in its original hardcover with a secure text block. Boards and spine show staining. The title on the spine has faded. Overall condition is Good, with a solid binding and complete text.

Why Collect This?

• First edition of an early account of Thuggee in English
• Historical criminology and ethnographic value
• Appeals to collectors of India, colonial history, and crime literature

Item Number: # 29323