# Any book recommendations about the East India Company? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [February 13, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420 "2022-02-13T21:59:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/1 "2022-02-13T21:59:34Z")
I’ve been reading a series of books that take place in Calcutta in the early 20th century. There are numerous references to the East India Company, and while I am certainly aware of their existence and historical importance, I realized it’s probably a fascinating story. Anyone have a book to recommend? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/2 "2022-02-13T22:05:25Z")
Try Lawrence Tribe’s _Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India_. I have a couple of others I can recommend, but they are at school and I won’t be able to access them until Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/3 "2022-02-13T22:05:47Z")
Nice. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/4 "2022-02-13T22:26:32Z")
I thought Lawrence Tribe was a legal scholar, so I Googled; are you thinking of Lawrence James? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/5 "2022-02-13T23:23:29Z")
Look, I just read the name on the spine of the book. What my fingers type is not my problem. WHY AM I BEING PERSECUTED?? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/6 "2022-02-13T23:24:04Z")
Of course it is James, not Tribe. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/7 "2022-02-14T04:34:27Z")
Highly recommend [_The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company_](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/11/anarchy-relentless-rise-east-india-company-william-darymple-review) by William Dalrymple ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2022, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/8 "2022-02-14T05:40:57Z")
Extra History did a 4-parter on the [British conquest of India](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4vonIphF4E) three months ago and the EIC – of course – comes up a lot. Their “Lies” [episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlMS3RcFI9k) has the source materials. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/9 "2022-04-18T03:32:04Z")
I would recommend Shashi Tharoor’s " Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India" > **[Amazon.com: Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India: 9781849048088:...](https://www.amazon.com/Inglorious-Empire-What-British-India/dp/1849048088)** > > Amazon.com: Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India: 9781849048088: Tharoor, Shashi: Books > [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > … take place in Calcutta in the early 20th century… Specific to Calcutta, please read about the Bengal Famine where 10 million died, 4 million more than the Jews killed by Nazis. They died largely because of the role Churchill played. Its covered in he book above. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/10 "2022-04-18T10:10:12Z")
Thanks, I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/11 "2022-04-18T15:28:22Z")
I recommend “Empire Made: My Search for an Outlaw Uncle Who Vanished in British India” by Kief Hillsbery. It’s the story of one British employee of the East India Company whose career there was quite unusual, but has a lot of good info on the Company in general. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-book-recommendations-about-the-east-india-company/959420/12 "2022-04-18T15:59:41Z")
There’s _The Honourable Company: A History of the English East India Company_ by John Keay. If you go to Amazon, you can read a lengthy excerpt to check it out (for some reason, the excerpt is only available through the entry for the Kindle edition).