StoryLTD.com offers bibliophiles a chance to bid on rare, vintage books in its second online auction of Rare Books

· 24-hour online auction featuring 50 books, including rare collectible editions dating back to the 19th century

· Leading the sale is Iqbal: Poet of the East (Lot 20), edited by Justice S A Rahman and published by Pakistan’s greatest Modern artist and intellectual, A R Chughtai, estimated at Rs 2,75,000 - Rs 3,25,000 ($4,170-$4,925)

· Some of the highlights include a two-volume set of the first edition of Mahatma Gandhi's The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Lot 34); The Constitution of India with illustrations by Nandalal Bose and printed signatures of the framers of the Constitution (Lot 42); a signed and limited edition of Inner Circle by Jerzy Peterkiewicz, with illustrations by one of India’s foremost Modernist Francis Newton Souza (Lot 44)

After a highly successful sale of its first online auction of Rare Books in September, and with overwhelming response from collectors, StoryLTD.com is back with the second edition of its auction of Rare Books on 12 - 13 January 2016, featuring 50 rare and out-of-print collectible books dating back to the 19th century and onward. This 24-hour online sale offers a wealth of literature on subjects ranging from Indian paintings and fabrics, to ancient Indian myths and folk tales, along with important narratives on the history, culture and politics of India.

The one-of-a-kind auction aims to address the needs of a growing collector base for vintage books and create an arena for collectors and bibliophiles to expand their collections, by making such scholarship available.

Minal Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart and StoryLTD.com, says: “We are delighted to present these rare documents of history and culture that one can no longer access easily. This auction provides an opportunity to discover and learn from thought leaders of art, history, politics and civilisations. In giving collectors a unique perspective on our aesthetic and cultural practices, this knowledge allows them to build stronger collections of art. Following the tremendous response from our inaugural online auction of Rare Books, we are proud to revisit this platform and offer such important scholarship.”

One of the most anticipated lots is A R Chughtai’s Iqbal: Poet of the East (Lot 20), estimated at Rs 2,75,000 - Rs 3,25,000 ($4,170 - $4,925). With an introduction by Justice S A Rahman, this book is collection of poems by the Islamic poet and philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, who was deferred the title “Shair-e-Mushriq”, or Poet of the East, in British India. Chughtai, who spent laborious years in getting this book published, has rendered this tome beautifully with calligraphic illustrations of Iqbal’s verses along with 72 paintings elucidating them that were created only for this book and are not to be found anywhere else.

Another highlight of the auction is The Constitution of India (Lot 42) circa 1980, estimated at Rs 25,000 - Rs 30,000 ($380 - $455). The book carries the printed signatures by the framers of the Constitution, also widely considered as the founders of the Republic of India. The illustrations in this book aim to represent the diverse styles that emerged from the many civilizations and cultures of the Indian subcontinent, from the prehistoric Mohenjodaro in the Indus Valley, till the date of the book’s publication. With calligraphy by Prem Behari Narain Raizda, this book bears illustrations by Bengal School artist Nandalal Bose, and was photo-lithographed at the Survey of India Offices.

The auction also includes a deluxe two-volume limited edition book titled Chintz (Lot 17), featuring the exquisite fabric collection from the Calico Museum, Ahmedabad. Estimated at Rs 90,000 - Rs 1,10,000 ($1,365 - $1,670), it features the Museum's unique collection of printed and painted cotton fabrics, generally known as chintz. The English edition of this book contains a compilation of scholarly material from Indian Painted and Printed Fabrics (1970) by John Irwin and Margaret Hall, and Indian Pigment Paintings on Cloth (1979) by Kalyan Krishna and Kay Talwar, the latter of which are Volumes I and III in the “Historic Textiles of India” series at the Calico Museum.

Other highlights include a two-volume set of the first edition of Mahatma Gandhi's The Story of My Experiments with Truth, (Lot 34), estimated at Rs 1,25,000 - Rs 1,75,000 ( $1,895 - $2,655); a limited edition three-volume set on Edwin Lutyens’ architecture with drawings and black-and-white photo plates, (Lot 38), estimated at Rs 80,000 - Rs 1,00,000 ( $1,215 - $1,520); a signed and limited edition of Inner Circle by Jerzy Peterkiewicz (Lot 44), with illustrations by Modern Indian artist Francis Newton Souza interpreting the Polish poet and novelist's offbeat futuristic narrative; Mount Everest mountaineer Edmund Hillary’s book High Adventure, signed by the author (Lot 23); and a limited edition monograph on Modern Indian artist S H Raza, signed by the artist and the author (Lot 46).

In the StoryLTD.com’s inaugural auction of Rare Books, the highest selling lot was The Art of India, published by India Book House in Mumbai in 1977. Originally estimated at Rs 15,000 – 18,000, it sold at Rs 1,96,800 ($3,028), crossing its upper estimate by a large margin.

Auction: 12 January 2016, 8 pm IST – 13 January 2016, 8 pm IST

The catalogue for this auction can be viewed at storyltd.com