PANJIM, NOV 18
Historie Der Inquisite Tot Goa by Pieter Mortier (1697) is amongst the oldest books at the exhibition of rare books by the Directorate of Archives and Archaeology as part of the National Book Week that ends on November 20.
The books on display are from the reference library of the archives department and Historie is one amongst its collection of approximately 55,000 books and date back to the 18th, 19 and 20th centuries. Majority of the books are in Portuguese, French, English, Hindi, Marathi and Konkani. Historie gives the narration of the Portuguese inquisition in Goa.
Other books on display at the exhibition are Codigo Dos Uzos E Costumes Dos Habitantes (1854), History of the Indian Navy (1613-1863) published in 1877, Historical Fragments of the Mogul Empire (1783), General History of the Mogul Empire (1709) and India Portuguesa.
Officials at the directorate say these books are of immense value to researchers and scholars, who understand the value of these collections.
Devendra Kenavdekar, a teacher by profession, who visited the exhibition today, said he was basically interested in knowing more about history pertaining to the Maratha king, Shivaji Maharaj.
Kenavdekar said he felt pro-Shivaji Marathi writers have written paeans about him and he was interested to know what the foreign authors had to say about the person. “I am sure there would be books here which would throw light on what I am looking for,” he said.
Interesting among the books on display is the one on Mahatma Gandhi titled Mahatma Gandhi-Collection of Photographs. The book, exclusively containing photographs, catches the Mahatma in different moods. It has been brought out by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in 1954.
The Goa Review of Books 