A collection of rare treasures aims to encourage collectors to develop interest

In 1967, Calcutta-based engineer GC Jain stepped out to buy antique furniture, and returned with a small collection of rare books. Acquired from a Parsi doctor, they now stand as part of the archives of Memoirs of India, a third-generation emporium of rare treasures in Delhi. “My grandfather thought this was an interesting field. Not many in India were doing it, so why not expand the book segment. That’s how from being a small collection, it has been built over many years. There are 8000-10,000 books now at any given point of time,” says Rashi Jain, who runs the gallery with her brother Rishabh Jain.

Berry Sarba-dhikary’s Presenting Indian Cricket; pages signed by the English Cricket Team

The collection has been sourced from all over the world. “Our area of specialisation is printed material published during the British Raj about the Indian Subcontinent.” Many of these books were published in the UK. “The paper quality is rather remarkable,” she tells us. For instance, one can find a fine copy of The Calcutta Municipal Gazette — Tagore Memorial Special Supplement (1941), alongside a clean print of Sitwell, Buchanan and Fisher’s Fine Birds Book 1700-1899 and a first edition of Otto Rothfield’s Women of India, containing painter MV Dhurandhar’s 48 coloured plates.

Rashi Jain

In addition to signed copies and original first editions, the gallery also carries antiquarian maps, printed engravings and photographs. “With the advent of photography, there were albums and studios that were being created. These present a visual record, giving us a glimpse of Indian life during those times,” shares Jain. With its e-commerce platform, readers, collectors, and culture enthusiasts can preserve little pieces of history in their homes.

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