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Description

A remarkable near-complete wartime set of British imperial maps covering the remote borderlands of Burma, Assam, Yunnan, Laos, and Thailand. Issued just before the Japanese invasion, these 1941 maps represent the last major government survey of the region before the Second World War upended the geopolitical order in Southeast Asia.

Prepared under the authority of the Surveyor General of India, the maps reflect a pivotal moment in the British Empire’s shrinking frontier, capturing in fine detail the logistical arteries and topography that would soon underpin Allied planning for the Burma Campaign. The series documents the strategic corridor linking India to China through the Burma Road and includes the rugged terrain of the Fort Hertz area—later the only pocket of British-controlled territory in northern Burma after the 1942 Japanese advance.

These maps were used in the field by Allied intelligence and reconnaissance teams, and their coverage, which spans the tribal zones of the Upper Chindwin, the Shan States, and the Salween basin, provides an unmatched snapshot of imperial infrastructure, frontier administration, and terrain knowledge on the eve of global conflict.

Surviving runs of this 1941 issue are virtually never encountered outside a few institutional archives, and few offer such comprehensive coverage of the region’s most contested terrain. A significant snapshot of Southeast Asians Allied wartime geography and British imperial surveying at its twilight.

List of Maps

  1. Sadiya Frontier Tract, Putao District, Tribal Area and Szechwan, Yunnan, Dayul, Nuchugu Provinces. No. 91 L Atuntze (Assam, Burma, China & Tibet)
  2. Bhamo, Katha and Shwebo Districts and Northern Shan States. No. 92 A Mong Mit (Burma)
  3. Lakhimpur District and Sadiya Frontier Tract. Myitkyina District and Unadministered Area. No. 92 A Munglang (Assam & Burma)
  4. Myitkyina & Upper Chindwin Districts & Tribal Area. No. 92 B Maingkwan (Burma)
  5. Upper Chindwin & Myitkyina Districts and Tribal Area. No. 92 C Mogaung (Burma)
  6. Bhamo, Upper Chidwin, Katha, & Myitkyina Districts and Northern Shan States. No. 92 D Katha (Burma)
  7. Sadiya Frontier Tract. Myitkyina District & Tribal Area. No. 92 E Fort Hertz (Assam & Burma)
  8. Myitkyina District and Tribal Area. No. 92 F Sumpra Bum (Burma)
  9. Myitkyina District and Tribal Area  Yunnan Province. No. 92 G Myitkyina (Burma, China)
  10. Bhamo & Myitkyina Districts and Northern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 92 H Bhamo (Burma, China)
  11. Myitkyina District and Tribal Area. Yunnan Province. No. 92 I Magalta (Burma & China)
  12. Myitkyina District, Yunnan Province. No. 92 J Hpimaw (Burma & China)
  13. Myitkyina District. Yunnan Province. No. 92 K Tenchung (Tengyueh) (Burma & China)
  14. Northern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 92 L Lungling (Burma, China)
  15. Katha, Kyaukse, Mandalay, Sagaing & Shwebo Districts and Northern & Southern Shan States. No. 93 B Maymyo (Burma)
  16. Kyaukse, Mandalay, Meiktila & Sagaing Districts and Northern & Southern Shan States. No. 93 C Mandalay (Burma)
  17. Meiktila & Yamethin Districts and Southern Shan States. No. 93 D Yamethin (Burma)
  18. Bhamo District & Northern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 93 E Hsenwi (Burma, China)
  19. Northern Shan States and Southern Shan States. No. 93 F Lasho (Burma)
  20. Northern Shan States and Southern Shan States. No. 93 G Mong Kung (Burma)
  21. Southern Shan States. No. 93 H Taunggyi (Burma)
  22. Northern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 93 I Kunlong (Burma, China)
  23. Northern and Southern Shan States. No. 93 J Mong Yai (Burma)
  24. Northern Shan States and Southern Shan States. No. 93 K Mong Nawng (Burma)
  25. Southern Shan States. No. 93 L Mong Pan (Burma)
  26. Northern & Southern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 93 N Mong Hsaw (Burma & China)
  27. Northern Shan States and Southern Shan States. Yunnan Province. No. 93 O Keng Tung (Burma, China)
  28. Southern Shan States, Chienmai & Chiengrai Provinces. No. 93 P Mong Hsat (Burma, Thailand)
  29. Southern Shan States, Laos Province, Chengrai Province. No. 102 D Ban Houei Sai (Burma, Indo-China, Thailand)
  30. Southern Shan States. Yunnan Province. Laos Province. No. 102 C Mong Yawng (Burma, China, Indo-China)
  31. Southern Shan States. Yunnan Province. Laos Province. No. 102 G Muong Sing (Burma, China, Indo-China)
Condition Description
Pinholes to upper left corner (not causing any noticeable loss). Some with uneven toning. Small holes in No. 92 K Tenchung (Tengyueh) and No. 93 N Mong Hsaw with minor loss (small hole in legend of No. 92 H Bhamo). Paper repair to closed tear of No. 102 C Mong Yawng, large closed tear to No. 93 L Mong Pan. Pencil marginalia to No. 92 B Maingkwan.