IQBAL POET OF THE EAST

Iqbal, Poet of the East and Chughtai
Muhammad Iqbal
24 Plates by Abdur Rahman Chughtai

Lahore: Nissar Art Press, 1968
First Edition. Book Condition: Good

Original plates intact, dust jacket shows minimal signs of wear. Due to the previous ownership the binding and pages need delicate handling.

Issued by Muhammad Chughtai himself, this edition was limited to 275 copies only – included in this book are illustrations by Chughtai most of which were painted by him after 1950 – especially for this work and are not to be found in other books by him. Abdur Rahman Chughtai had the idea to publish a book on Iqbal’s poetry in 1953, but it took him 15 years to carry out this lavish project. It is generally considered the most expensive and lavish project for a book by or about any artist of the sub-continent. Chughtai initially planned to have the entire book printed in England but the printers expressed their inability to address the Urdu text. Finally, the plates were printed overseas while Nissar Art Press in Lahore printed the text under Chughtai’s supervision.