The Ascent of John Company - From Traders to Rulers (1756-1787)

This book is the story of the founding of the British empire in India. It is invariably a sordid story of brutality, tempered to some extent by blatant lies, corruption and intrigue. The romanticization of the empire was a phenomenon of the later Victorian period. Nostalgia for the Raj still lingers among some circles. For such people this volum