This is the world’s earliest surviving text printed in Bengal and Northern India, a copy of the ‘Calendar for the year of our Lord MDCCLXXVIII”. It is in the SOAS library, those are calculated to the Meridian of Calcutta. Little known to the outside world, this is a calendar – sort of like a yearly almanac – printed around December 1777 in Calcutta. Calendars were an everyday document in the 18thcentury, and were a common way to mark events, and to keep track of things like the moon and the tides.

These calendars served as everyday documents and were important for marking events, tracking celestial phenomena like the moon and tides, and keeping time. The design of the calendars included motifs, ornaments, and floral marks, which added aesthetic appeal and visual interest. The presence of these design elements not only enhanced the visual appeal of the calendars but also made them distinct and recognizable. Additionally, the inclusion of the printer's name on the title page, as seen in other surviving calendars, indicates the importance of branding and attribution in the printing industry at that time.