Calcutta by Geoffrey Moorhouse (FIRST AMERICAN EDITION), 1972 🇮🇳📜🌉

This is a rare First American Edition, First Printing of Calcutta by Geoffrey Moorhouse, a canonical work of immersive modern journalism and historical documentation.

The volume is classified as a top-shelf documentary artifact, appealing to collectors interested in modern travel literature and South Asian geopolitical history.

Its value is secured by its verifiable First American Edition status in 1972 and its function as a powerful, unflinching portrait of a major global city during a period of profound crisis.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ Calcutta is a work of deep-focus non-fiction that offers a socio-historical portrait of Calcutta, India, at a time of immense political and economic stress. Moorhouse approaches the city as a complex organism, detailing its history, its poverty, its intellectual life, and its extraordinary resilience.

The book's intellectual merit comes from its detailed reporting, placing it within the genre of "new journalism" of the late 20th century. The volume is bound in publisher's cloth with the title and publisher marked clearly. The documentation includes a Library of Congress Catalog Card Number and ISBN, confirming its serious institutional standing.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Geoffrey Moorhouse (1931–2009) was a celebrated British journalist and author, best known for his works of history and travel writing, such as The Fearful Void. His writing style was characterized by its sympathetic observation, thorough research, and powerful descriptive prose.

Moorhouse's ability to live within and document his subjects' reality earned him high critical praise. The book was published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York, a major American publisher known for its strong non-fiction and literary lists.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 This First American Edition was published in 1972, a crucial year immediately following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. This conflict triggered a massive refugee crisis that placed an immense strain on the infrastructure and resources of Calcutta.

The book, therefore, functions as a document of historical observation of the city at its most critical moment. It provides essential context to the geopolitical forces shaping South Asia and the social ramifications of regional conflict in the early 1970s.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of Modern Travel and Geopolitical History and Post-Colonial Studies.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in First Editions of influential journalistic and historical non-fiction from the 1970s. The book belongs in a collection that prioritizes authoritative, deeply researched works that provide primary insights into global urban centers.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is a First American Edition, First Printing, a key bibliographical milestone. The volume is approximately 53 years old.

Its scarcity is moderate as a trade edition, but its value is sustained by its literary standing and its documentary importance as a time capsule of a major global city during a period of crisis. The comprehensive documentation (ISBN, LOC Number) supports its curatorial and investment value.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided information. The book is deemed to be in Very Good Vintage Condition.

• Binding: Bound in original publisher's cloth.

• Printing: Confirmed as the First American Edition, First Printing.

• Text Block: The text block is secure and clean, with light toning appropriate for its age.

• Documentation: The ISBN (0-15-115369-8) and Library of Congress Catalog Card Number (75-174512) are clear on the copyright page.

• Wear: Minimal rubbing or fading is noted, consistent with a well-preserved volume of its age.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Immersive Research: Moorhouse spent an entire year living in Calcutta to research the book, embedding himself in the city's complex social fabric.

• Literary Recognition: The book was critically acclaimed upon release, solidifying Moorhouse's reputation as a master of the documentary narrative.

• The Name Change: The book documents the city when it was officially known as Calcutta; it was later renamed Kolkata in 2001.

• The Geopolitical Context: The book's publication was closely timed to the major refugee crisis that followed the 1971 war, lending it immediate, urgent relevance as a political text.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: First Edition Historical Non-Fiction / Travelogue

• Author: Geoffrey Moorhouse

• Title: Calcutta

• Year/Period: 1972 (First American Publication)

• Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Publisher’s Cloth

• Edition/Rarity: First American Edition, First Printing

• Catalog Numbers: ISBN 0-15-115369-8 / LOC 75-174512