6,291
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
Check the [http://shop.fibis.org/amazon.htm FIBIS Online Bookshop] for availability of recommended titles and more information.
==Family histories==
remove bookshop link
==Reference books==
* Buckland, Charles Edward
''Dictionary of Indian biography''. London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1906
Ever since its appearance in 1906, C E Buckland’s ''Dictionary of Indian Biography'' has been for generations of researchers the first place to look for a succinct summary of the career of anybody who was anybody during the history of British India. It includes both civil and military officers, non-officials as well as officials, scholars as well as statesmen, a sprinkling of eminent Indians and Indian Princes, Secretaries of State for India and other home politicians who influenced Indian affairs, a few senior East India Company and India Office officials, and a surprising number of European and Indian critics and enemies of the British in India.
This list indicates both Buckland’s strengths and weaknesses. To be included a person must have left a mark on history, but if your ancestor was an ‘ordinary Joe’, you will not find him. Nevertheless, if you come across mention of a senior officer or official or otherwise prominent personage during your researches, ‘Buckland’ is still a very handy means of finding out about him (there are hardly any women – I have found only Annie Besant on a quick search). Handy, that is, only for those of us able to visit a major library [in the British Library APAC reading room it is on the open shelves at 920.054], or lucky enough to own a second-hand copy or one of the Indian reprints of 1971 (Varanasi, Indological Book House) and 1999 (New Delhi, Cosmo Publications). However, the book can be read or downloaded at [http://www.archive.org/details/dictionaryofindi00buckuoft Internet Archive]. (David Blake, FIBIS trustee, 2010)
Lincoln, NE, USA: iUniverse, 2005
"There have been many memoirs of life in India during the last days of the Raj, but this is a worthy addition to that number, not least because the author was the daughter of a Calcutta businessman, and the British business community in India is perhaps less well represented in our collective memory of India under British rule than the India Civil Service or the Indian Army. When dealing with the historical background, the book does contain some errors of detail, but these do not detract from the authenticity of the author's account of her own personal experience as a child of the Raj... Dowley-Wise gives a very full account of the life experienced by a young girl growing up in India" including the hospitality offered by her family to the troops in wartime Calcutta. The full review by David Blake, a FIBIS trustee, is available on pp.48-49 of FIBIS "Journal " no. 15 (Spring 2006). Excerpts from the book and comments are available at [http://www.raj-memories.co.uk Raj memories] * Hearne, Tony''Farewell Raj : witness to the end of empire''.Eastbourne, Tommies Guides, 2009 This is a film-worthy memoir of a “21-year old Army Sergeant during the month or two before and after ‘Independence Day' in August 1947. [The author] was a British soldier caught up in the daily rioting in Calcutta between the Hindus and Moslems . . . He very graphically describes the awful nightly scenes in that vast city at that time and the incapacity of the military power to do little more than observe their consequences.” Instead of early discharge bringing him release from the unrest, his train journey to farewell his parents in Lahore plunges him into greater danger when he is stranded after witnessing an atrocity and struggles to get himself back to safety. “This is truly an enthralling read – but the title gives little inkling of the excitement that the book contains.” (Reviewed by Peter Bailey, FIBIS Chairman, in the FIBIS "Journal" no. 22 (Autumn 2009), p. 56)
During the First World War Yeats-Brown is sent to France and later joins a flying corps in Mesopotamia – where is he captured by Turks. He eventually escapes and returns to India. However his days as a lancer are soon over and the reader is presented with a wonderful tour of India as he goes in search of practising gurus to learn the secrets of yoga and inner truth. An evocative and satisfying read. Recommended. (Beverly Hallam, FIBIS trustee)
==Biography==
The book contains relevant photos and there are full indexes and other references for the scholar. A most interesting and informative read! (reviewed by Beverly Hallam, a FIBIS trustee)
* Dalrymple, William
''White mughals : love and betrayal in eighteenth-century India''.
London: HarperCollins, 2002
This award-winning book unfolds the romantic story of Major James Achilles Kirkpatrick (1764-1805), the British Resident at the Court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and the high-born Khair un-Nissa. Their marriage by Muslim rite in 1800 caused a scandal and secret investigations by the British, but, as the author clearly documents, James was not unusual in his appreciation of local culture and arts, nor in his adoption of local customs and an Indian wife. What was changing were British attitudes to assimilation, and long before the death of the children of James and Khair, the term 'gone native' had become one of contempt. The book provides a wealth of detail concerning the political maneuvering of the British EIC, their relationship with the French and key figures in the princely state, as well as the architecture of the city of Hyderabad.This [http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/dec/09/britishidentity.india article] by William Dalrymple gives some background.
* Hennessy, Maurice
''The rajah from Tipperary''.
Sevenoaks, Kent: New English Library, 1972
This little book (under 200 pages) relates the rise and fall of the inimitable George Thomas (1756-1802), an Irish mercenary who was leader of a large contingent of soldiers, became the one-time lover of the renowned Begum Sombru and eventually established his own kingdom based at Hansi. The narrative reveals the complexity of a man who exhibited a ruthless courage in pursuit of his enemy but was loyal and generous in his dealings with his own men and those who hired them. Each chapter embodies quotes from relevant texts and footnotes to satisfy the academic. For the average reader, this book is an excellent introduction to this early period in the history of India and to the type of life lead by European mercenary soldiers. There is also a list of characters and glossary for ease of reference, plus a bibliography. An enthralling and unforgettable read. Recommended. (Beverly Hallam, FIBIS trustee, 2010)
This is a highly unusual perspective on the people and events of India in 1947-48 provided by the diary of the last Viceroy of India's teenage daughter. Now as an elderly woman, Pamela Mountbatten has added explanatory text and a mass of family photographs to present a highly personal picture in which momentous events and great leaders, many of whom became friends of the family, are interspersed with some of the minutiae of life in the Viceroy's vast house and her work at a free clinic and the Allied Forces Canteen. The anecdotes about her pet mongoose with its insatiable appetite for fried eggs are a particular delight. There is the occasional repetition of detail between the commentary and journal entries but this is a minor irritation. As a non-politician's insider's account of the transfer of power this easy to read memoir is recommended. Includes an index and a list of key figures.
==Family histories==
* Quick, Diana
''A tug on the thread : from the British Raj to the British stage, a family memoir''. London: Virago, 2009
“It has clearly taken Miss Quick many years to uncover her antecedents and she presents her story in a most readable way. The book is unusual in that [the author] relates the parts she has played as an actress to situations she herself experienced in real life and some of the experiences of her ancestors, several of whom appear to have undergone severe trials and tribulations. . . . This is a most welcome addition to the literature on the Anglo-Indian community and is a jolly good read.” (The full review by Allan Stanistreet appears in the FIBIS "Journal" no. 22 (Autumn 2009) p. 56)
