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Sir Lepel H Griffin and Colonel C F Massy, Chiefs and families of note in the Punjab: A Revised edition of "The Punjab Cities", Lahore: Printed by the Superintendent, Government Printing, Punjab, 1940

In 2 Volumes
Volume I: Title page + xi + 512 pages; rebound in half leather bound with 4 raised bands and gilt text at the spine; 25.5 x 17.7 x 4.2 cm
Volume II: Title page + v + 620 pages; rebound in half leather bound with 4 raised bands and gilt text at the spine; 24.2 x 16.5 x 4.8 cm

Originally published in Lahore in 1865, Chiefs and Families of Note in the Punjab by Sir Lepel H. Griffin includes historical and biographical notices of the principal chiefs and families of note in the Punjab, along with detailed pedigree tables. A revised edition (2 vols.) by Charles Francis Massy was published at Lahore in 1890, and in 1899, revised pedigree tables were also included.

Griffin's subsequent publications on the subject, including Sikhism and the Sikhs (Great Religions of the World: New York, 1901), Rajas of the Punjab, The Law of Inheritance to Chiefship: As Observed by the Sikhs prior to the Annexation of the Panjab (Lahore, 1869), and Maharaja Ranjit Singh (Asiatic Quarterly, London), may be considered precursors to this book.

The author, who held a prominent civilian position in the Punjab after its British occupation in 1849, resolved to document the historical trajectory of the region's "fallen nobility" and ascertain their position during the British occupation. Griffin utilized various sources in the compilation of this work, including history sheets submitted by the chiefs, records from old Sikh government, the Punjab Government, British agencies in Delhi, Ludhiana, Lahore, and Punjab; personal interviews with living chiefs, family priests, and bards; and comprehensive travelogues, memoirs, and significant historical accounts pertaining to the Punjab written in English, Persian, and Urdu.

The publication, which was released in 1865, examined the chiefs and their families residing in districts situated between the rivers Beas and Indus, which at the time formed the Lahore and Rawalpindi division. It documented their genealogies and provided comprehensive information regarding their contributions to the political history of the Punjab. This included the period from the late 18th century until the establishment of the Sikh monarchy led by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, in the Anglo-Sikh wars at the time of the annexation of Punjab. Primarily, the book considered families and chiefs who possessed social status, financial resources, or sway during the period of annexation. Charles Francis Massy published the second edition of the book (2 volumes) in 1890. This edition expands the work's scope to include the NorthWest Frontier, most of the Himalayan states, and a significant portion of the southeastern Punjab. In doing so, it addresses certain areas that Griffin neglected to mention and updates the text to reflect current events. Certain commanders who had been demoted to obscurity were excluded, while others who had attained prominence were included. The subsequent publication, authored by H D Craik and published in 1909, also included the foremost families of the Derajat, Delhi, Jalandhar, Peshawar, and Peshawar divisions, in addition to some princely states. Due to the establishment of a distinct province in 1901, the NorthWest Frontier was excluded from Craik's survey.

The fourth edition, which G L Chopra revised and updated until July 1930 (present lot), was released in 1940. This was published in a limited edition of 450 copies only.