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The British in India

Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
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( 480 ratings, 84 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The British in India by David Gilmour examines the multifaceted experiences of the British in India during the colonial period. The book provides an in-depth look at their daily lives, motivations, and societal roles, exploring how they managed to rule a vast subcontinent. Rich with anecdotes and personal accounts, it paints a complex picture of cultural interaction, influence, and the often controversial aspects of the British presence in India.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the complex and multifaceted history of British rule in India, as it offers a detailed exploration of the lives of the British people who lived there and their interactions with Indian society. You might enjoy the way it delves into personal stories, political dynamics, and cultural exchanges between the two nations, providing a nuanced view of this significant era.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A panoramic social history chronicling the lives of hundreds of British people of all classes in the most important territory of the British Empire.

The British in India details the lives of the British who lived in India from shortly after the reign of Elizabeth I until well into the reign of Elizabeth II. They were soldiers, officials, businessmen, doctors, and missionaries of both sexes, as well as planters, engineers, and many others, along with their children, wives, and sisters.

This book describes their lives, their work, and their extraordinarily varied interactions with the native populations. It also records the very diverse roles they played in the three centuries of British-Indian history. Gilmour writes of people who have never been written about before, men and women who are presented here with humanity and often with humour.

The result is a magnificent tapestry of life, an exceptional work of scholarly recovery which reads like a great nineteenth-century novel. It makes a highly original and engaging contribution to a long and important period of British and Indian history.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The British in India by David Gilmour has been praised for its comprehensive research and elegant prose. Reviewers highlight its vivid portrayal of British colonial life, likening it to a vibrant, richly detailed painting. The book is recommended as an insightful read on imperial India, capturing the essence of British influence from the mid-18th century to 1947.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780141979212

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 August 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Illustration: 32pp b/w

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 29.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 471g

Pages: 640

About the Author

David Gilmour is one of Britain's most admired and accomplished historical writers and biographers. He is the author of lives of George Curzon (Duff Cooper Prize) and Rudyard Kipling (Elizabeth Longford Prize) and of The Ruling Caste- Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj, an acclaimed study of the administrators of Victorian India. His other works include The Pursuit of Italy- A History of a Land, its Regions and their Peoples, The Last Leopard, a biography of Giuseppe di Lampedusa (Marsh Biography Award) as well as several books on the modern history of Spain and the Middle East. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a former Research Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford.

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