Lady Charlotte Pippard celebrating her 100th birthday at

LONGEVITY

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by James Cormick

‘It must be something in the air’, people often say when remarking upon someone’s surprising longevity.  While that is true of the Trust’s house in Brooklands Avenue, which is situated in an oasis of green south of the centre of Cambridge, it is certainly not the whole truth.  I am convinced that books, particularly old books, add to the environmental mix that prolongs a person’s life.  How else can we explain the fact that four people closely associated with Trust have approached, reached, or exceeded 100 years old?

Sir Harold Bailey, one of our founding trustees, who actually lived in the house, died at the age of 96.  James Kinnier-Wilson, one of Sir Harold’s colleagues at the University, and a frequent visitor to the house, died at the age of 101.  And amongst the living, Charlotte Pippard, Lady Pippard, our immensely skillful bookbinder, who still comes to the house every Monday, recently celebrated her 100th birthday.  And Aileen Adams, the distinguished professor of anaesthetics, who is a Friend of the Trust and until recently a regular attendee of our lectures, is celebrating her 100th birthday today (5th September 2023).

Photo: Lady Charlotte Pippard celebrating her 100th birthday at the Trust earlier this year.

Fortress Palace of the Khan of Kalat, from Colonel Sir Robert Sandeman: His Life and Work on Our Indian Frontier by Thomas Henry Thornton, London: John Murray, 1895.

Books about Afghanistan by Nicholas Barrington

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Those of you who have been reading the articles by our trustee Sir Nicholas Barrington on his collection of books about the 19th-century history of Afghanistan, the ‘Great Game’ and northern India may like to know that a seventh article is now available. Read the seventh article here Read the sixth article here Read the fifth article here Read the fourth article here Read the third article here The first and second articles can be read in Indiran 14 and 15, respectively.

ournalist, Edmund O’Donovan, elected Chief Khan of Merv, from Merv: A Story of Adventures and Captivity Epitomized from ‘The Merv Oasis’ by Edmund O’Donovan, 1883.

Books about Afghanistan 3 by Nicholas Barrington

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Those of you who enjoyed reading the articles by our trustee Sir Nicholas Barrington on his collection of books about the 19th-century history of Afghanistan, the ‘Great Game’ and northern India in the last two issues of Indiran (14 and 15) may like to know that a third article is now available. It covers more about the western (Herat) side of Afghanistan, with pictures of some of the remarkable characters involved. Sir Nicholas is working on a fourth article, which will include material on often-forgotten Baluchistan and the lead-up to …

Updated Duplicates for Sale List – January 2023

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From time to time the Ancient India & Iran Trust advertises duplicate books and periodicals for sale.  Many of these are rare and out of print. We view this as a useful way of helping researchers and also of creating revenue. We have no dedicated income for purchasing current publications so the proceeds from book sales make a direct contribution towards keeping our collections up to date. We have just issued an updated list of over 950 titles which include many duplicates from the collections of Mary Boyce (1920-2006), Professor …

New Issue of INDIRAN now online

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Issue 16 of of our newsletter, Indiran, is now available to view here. We hope you enjoy reading it. If you would like a print copy please contact our Administrator, Munizha Ahmad-Cooke, by emailing info@indiran.org or calling 01223 356841.