William Logan (Malabar Manual)

William Logan (1841–1914) was a Scottish officer of the Madras Civil Service under the British Government. Before his appointment as Collector of Malabar, he had served in the area for about twenty years in the capacity of Magistrate and Judge. He was conversant in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu. He is remembered for his 1887 guide to the Malabar District, popularly known as the Malabar Manual

Logan had a special liking for what is now the state of Kerala and its people. His work and life in Thalassery is commemorated there by Logan's Road, the main road that cuts across the town.

Malabar by William Logan (popularly known as the Malabar Manual) is an 1887 publication commissioned by the Government of Madras, and originally published in two volumes. It is a guide to the Malabar District under the Presidency of Madras in British India, compiled during Logan's tenure as Collector of Malabar. It is an exhaustive volume giving the details of the geography, people, their religion and castes, language and culture. It depicts the life and style of the vernacular people of Malabar District, with notes on the life of members of the East India Company.

The work was later followed up by the Malabar Gazetteer of 1908, written by Charles Alexander Innes.

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