#sir penderel moon

[bitemelater]

[Book Review] The British Conquest and Dominion of India (Set of 2 Volumes)

My rating: 5/5 Stuck between the British sense of superiority, grandeur, and supposed generosity on one side, and politically unconcerned, staunchly religious, and, later, nationalist mass of people on the other, it is indeed a great achievement for Sir Penderel Moon to have remained utterly unbiased and produced a masterpiece such as this. This relatively lesser known book traces the history of the present day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, with some traces of Afghanistan and Myanmar, from the mid-1700s and ends with the partition of British India. It must be added that this is not a regular book on Indian history. The book focuses on the administrative side of the rule and although it describes the life of the common people during all periods, the details are relatively scarce. As possible for an Indian Civil Services officer, Moon has included many interesting anecdotes and, sometimes, an extremely concise character sketch and biography of the executives and rulers, which prevents the reading from becoming dull, and the text retains the same vitality throughout. The author's ability to state facts clearly in a simple language is commendable. The book is as accessible to the common population as it is valuable to the scholars. At times the author uses terminology and references that might be unknown to a non-English reader, but it doesn't ruin the pleasure in any significant way. For an English reader familiar with the political organizations of Britain, however, these details would make a delightful enhancement. At approximately 1200 pages, this book certainly requires patience, but the patience rewards wonderfully. For anyone looking for an unprejudiced and plain history of the British conquest of India, this book is perhaps a must. More than anyone, I'd recommend this book to the children of India and the blind Indian nationalists, who would probably benefit the most with some taste of truth.