Empire Building The Construction of British India 1690-1860
Author: Rosie Llewellyn-Jones
Publisher: Penguin-Viking
Pages: xii+239
Price: Rs 799
Lately, several British authors have tried to highlight some positive aspect or the other of colonial rule in India. Many of these books are flawed and not persuasive, but occasionally, one comes across an outstandingly balanced perspective. Roderick Matthews’ Peace, Poverty and Betrayal was one such study (reviewed in these pages on October 27, 2021). Rosie Llewellyn-Jones’ book seems to aspire to be in this select group, ending thus: “The East India Company often got things wrong, but it got some things right too.” But it