Description
Signed first edition of Himself: The Autobiography of a Hindu Lady by Ramabai Ranade, translated by Katherine Van Akin Gates. From the original Marathi title of Amachya Ayushyatil Kahi Athavani.
Octavo, xvi, 253pp. Blue cloth, title stamped in black on spine. Stated “first edition” on copyright page. Light dust along text block, internally clean. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $2.00 on front flap, shallow chipping at spine, illustrations on panels.
Inscribed by Katherine Van Akin Gates on the half title: “For Frannie and Ralph – With sincere appreciation of a fine and enduring friendship – hospitality expressed! Katherine Van Akin Gates / June 1941.”
Mrs. Ramabai Ranade (1862-1924) was an influential social reformer and advocate for women’s rights in pre-independence India. She was the founder of the Seva Sudan Society, one of the first organizations to offer educational, medical and social services to women in India. This autobiography, titled “Amchya Ayushyatil Kahi Athavani” in her native language of Marathi, was translated by Katherine Van Akin Gates in 1938. This translation is the only known copy to appear on the public market and one of a handful of copies held in public institutions.
