Difficulties for a foreign army in Afghanistan are nothing new. The land has been the scene of numerous battles, generally one group of outsiders against the other, with the Afghans ferociously fighting to rid the country of all outsiders. In 1840, Afghanistan became the scene of a rivalry between the British, protecting their interests in India, and the Russians to the north. Item 223 is the History of the war in Afghanistan... by John William Kaye, published in 1851. This book recounts the First Afghan War, in which the British were routed, thousands being killed as they attempted to flee Kabul over snowbound passes with few supplies. Item 223. £975 (US $1,685).

Item 270 is Humorous sketches of the world we live in, from R.W. Lodwick, published by the Education Society of Bombay in 1856. It contains 40 caricatures of life in Bombay at the time. The artist has inscribed this copy to Mountstuart Elphinstone, who thirty years prior had served as the British Governor of Bombay. £1,750 (US $3,027).

You may contact Bernard J. Shapero Rare Books at +44 (0)20 7493 0876 or rarebooks@shapero.com, or visit their website at www.shapero.com.