Most historical texts focus on rulers, great battles that changed the course of history, religious strife and palace intrigue. Dates abound and you learn about the famous men and women about whom we all study in history books and large tomes.

This book is different, in that it focusses on the societal changes that took place in North India during a specific period in history. For the first time, you read names of traders, and other more ordinary folk. You learn about how the crumbling Mughal Empire gave rise to a seething change in Indian society,and created a vacuum that the British stepped into.

While the changes and events may have seen to have moved at a glacial pace for the people living in the towns at that time, seen from a historical perspective, there was a massive change that went through North India at that time.

CA Bayly has done a marvellous job of capturing this, and of writing about it in a balanced manner. The writing style is succint and to the point, He does not have the magnificent flourish that some of the better known historical writers like Dalrymple have - his style is more academic. Yet, it is engaging. To capture such change requires excellent planning. The book has been laid out very well, and it is possible to follow the thread of the story, and to understand the forces that were at interplay during that time.

This is not a book for the casual reader (though, I must say, I found it hard to put down). However, for those who have more than a passing interest in Indian history and society, this is a must read. ( )