Identify the series, district and part

The National Diet Library’s record for Punjab district gazetteers explains the intended distinction between Part A, descriptive material, and Part B, statistics and revisions. It also notes varied imprints and periodic reissue. A reference that says only Punjab Gazetteer leaves important questions unanswered: which district, which part, which edition and which period of observation?[1]

Copy those particulars from the volume you actually consult. A statistical table and a narrative chapter can come from different dates even when catalogued within the same series. Our recommended citation therefore includes the table or chapter, printed page, edition and reporting year where given. Do not transfer a number between editions without checking its heading and notes.[1]

District and province

Wellcome Collection catalogues a separate work, Punjab, issued in Calcutta in 1908 within the Imperial Gazetteer’s provincial series. Its description records two volumes with maps, and credits drafting to H. A. Rose with final revision by J. P. Thompson. This is a useful example of why a province-level compilation should not be confused with one district’s gazetteer.[2]

Record authorship and official production. This government-printed compilation does not speak for every inhabitant. Our method asks what its compilers needed to administer, count or classify, and whose experiences need other sources. The catalogue cannot answer those questions about an unseen passage.[2]

Testing claims

For a population table, first check the district’s boundary and census date, the unit being counted and the category definitions printed with the figures. For a statement about custom, identify who reported it and whether alternatives are acknowledged. These are our editorial questions for an officially compiled series; they are not endorsements of the classifications it contains.[1]

Keep an image, transcription and interpretation separate, and compare claims with other contemporary sources. Wellcome’s catalogue carries its own rights notice. We reproduce no pages; neither an old publication date nor online availability establishes permission to reuse a particular digital scan.[2]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. National Diet Library, Japan. Punjab district gazetteers. Part A [descriptive matter] ↗institutional reference · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Bibliographic ID 000009887320; General notes, part structure and imprint variation. Accessed 2026-10-31.Read full catalogue description and English notes. No district volume interior claimed.Return to Identify the series, district and part, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Identify the series, district and part, paragraph 2 ↑Return to Testing claims, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Wellcome Collection. Punjab, 1908 ↗institutional reference · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Publication/Creation, contributors, prefatory note, physical description and rights notice. Accessed 2026-10-31.Inspected catalogue metadata and rights statement only; distinguished provincial and district series.Return to District and province, paragraph 1 ↑Return to District and province, paragraph 2 ↑Return to Testing claims, paragraph 2 ↑
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Record PH-COL-0038 · English edition · human review not performed