Review
Bowen's important argument in attractive prose belongs in all academic libraries.... Highly recommended. -- Choice
"The Business of Empireprovides a rich and fascinating exploration of what H.V. Bowen modestly describes as the 'internal history' of the East India Company...The book offers a wealth of insights."
Douglas M. Peers, The International History Review
"...his approach is unprecedented and much needed...an excellent starting point from which others can explore these topics." --Woodruff D. Smith, University of Massachusetts: Journal of Interdisciplinary History
"...a highly accessible and yet rigorously scholarly study..." -Michael H. Fisher, Histoire sociale
Book Description
The book provides the first detailed study of what happened in Britain when the East India Company acquired a vast territorial empire in South Asia. It offers a reconstruction of the inner workings of the Company as it made the remarkable transition from business to empire during the late-eighteenth century. Huw Bowen explores the Company's interactions with the domestic economy and society, and sheds new light on its contributions to the development of Britain's imperial state. This book will appeal to all those interested in imperial, economic and business history.