The Discovery of India (1946, first edition)
The first UK edition of Jawaharlal Nehru's important study of India
Author
Publisher
Printing Details
First UK edition, first printing. Hardback, bound in blue cloth, titled to spine. 22 × 14cm, 490pp.
An important book written by the Indian statesman Jawaharlal Nehru (later India's first Prime Minister) during his imprisonment from 1942 to 1945 at Ahmednagar Fort. Part personal memoir, part historical synthesis, and part political manifesto, the book is Nehru’s attempt to understand his own country—tracing its history, culture, philosophy, and spirit from ancient origins to the mid-20th century.
Nehru traces India’s evolution from the ancient Indus Valley through the Golden Age and the Mughal era to the rise of British colonialism, critiquing imperialism for systematically dismantling India’s economic and social structures while advocating for a future that marries ancient philosophical heritage with modern science, reason, and democratic nationalism.
Condition
A good copy. The blue cloth covers are heavily sun-faded and with a few small marks to the spine. The contents are in very good readable condition. The pages are age-toned to the margins but clean and the inner binding is secure.
As of September 2026, books remain duty-free. The price of the book incurs no extra US import fees.
Price
£30.00
