(The following post is by Jonathan Loar, South Asia Reference Librarian, Asian Division.)
Friendly reminder – there is a Library of Congress International Collections Facebook Page.
Just like this 4 Corners of the World blog, the International Collections Facebook Page comes to you from the librarians of the African & Middle Eastern, Asian, European, and Hispanic Reading Rooms. The Facebook page showcases the diversity of the Library’s collections from around the world, including important historical works, rare books, beautiful and unusual manuscripts, recent acquisitions, and new digital projects. Past posts have also looked at holidays, like Nowruz, and commemorative times of year, like Hispanic Heritage Month. The page has also taught us a thing or two. Until this year, I had no idea that January 10 was National Houseplant Day!
While you can like and follow our Facebook page to learn more about the Library’s international collections, we wanted to share some of the page’s highlights on our blog, too. We start with an assortment of interesting materials from the Asian Division’s South Asian Rare Book Collection. Enjoy this jaunt through our page’s archives.

Trivikramapaṇḍita. “Vāyustutiḥ.” Bambai: Śrīveṅkaṭeśvara Stīm-Presa, 2001 [1944]. South Asian Rare Book Collection, Library of Congress Asian Division.

“[Baidha saphu].” [1722]. South Asian Rare Book Collection, Library of Congress Asian Division.

Document in Hindi from the princely state of Bikaner with stamp in the denomination of 8 annas. Part of the Princely State Papers in the South Asian Rare Book Collection, Library of Congress Asian Division.
Prior to the independence of Pakistan (August 14, 1947) and India (August 15, 1947), there were a number of small, nominally-independent “princely states” covering about half of the Indian subcontinent, each with its own ruling family and court system. The Library of Congress’ South Asian Rare Book Collection has several thousand papers from the courts of these and other princely states. Acquired through a donation to the division, most are from the very late 19th century or the early 20th century in a mix of Hindi, Urdu, and Rajasthani languages, alongside a few in English. Many of these documents are on stamped papers that people had to purchase when writing up commercial transactions and legal affairs, including lawsuits and other court cases. These colorful stamps come in various denominations (e.g., 1 anna, 4 annas, 8 annas, 1 rupee) and bear the image of their princely state’s ruler or emblem. Check out some samples of documents from the princely states of the past. Contact the Asian Division through Ask a Librarian to schedule an appointment to view this collection. (Originally posted on August 16, 2018.)

Urdu translation of the “Arabian Nights,” including the marginalia in volume three. Munshī ʻAbdulkarīm, translator. “Alf lailah Urdū.” [Kānpur, India]: Mat̤baʻ Muṣtafāʼī, 1263 [1847]. South Asian Rare Book Collection, Library of Congress Asian Division.
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January 1, 2022 at 1:35 pm
Thanks for finally writing about > Hanuman, Planets, Princely States, and the “Arabian Nights” in Urdu:
Highlights of South Asian Materials from the Library’s International Collections Facebook Page | 4 Corners of the World:
International Collections and Studies at the Library of Congress s128