The honourable company : a history of the English East India Company

## From Publishers Weekly For 213 years, beginning around 1700, the "incorrigible pioneering" of merchant traders of the East India Company furthered the "peculiarly diffuse character" of the British Empire. British author Keay tells an ambitious story with sweep and brio, encompassing the company's origins as a "bane of bedraggled pioneers" in search of spices in the remote Indonesian archipelago; its role in the 1690 founding of Calcutta (an episode of "commercial greed and political mayhem"); and the opening up of China in 1700, which was to become the company's most profitable trade. Keay not only portays some of the adventurers and potentates who encountered one another but also grasps the details of trade, some more momentous than others: one missive from London to India mixed declarations of war with Spain and complaints about a bar bill. The company's monopoly charter was eventually broken not by rival traders but by British manufacturers wanting more overseas outlets for their products. If, as Keay notes, there are "enough incomplete histories of the Company to justify a health warning," then this book is a salubrious contribution. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. ## From Booklist Conventional wisdom has it that the commercial imperialism of the early English trading companies was intertwined with the political imperialism of the expanding British empire. In this reexamination of the English East India Company, Keay, an author and broadcaster specializing in Asian history, acknowledges that "but for the Company there would have been not only no British India but also no global British Empire." But he also shows that the triumph of imperialism helped bring about the downfall of the company by eliminating its monopolies and creating conditions for the 1857 Indian mutiny. Keay's title is intentionally ironic; he reports, "venal and disreputable, [the company's] servants were believed to have betrayed their race by begetting a half caste tribe of Anglo-Indians, and their nation by corrupt government and extortionate trade." Published two years ago in Britain and cited as one of that year's three best books by the __Financial Times__ (London), __The Honourable Company__ fascinatingly illuminates one of the lesser-known chapters of Asian history. __David Rouse__ A History Of The Company From Its Beginnings As An Association Of Elizabethan Tradesmen To Its Becoming One Of The Most Powerful Forces In The World. Part 1. A Quiet Trade 1600-1640: 1. Islands Of Spicerie: The Voyages Of James Lancaster ; 2. This Frothy Nation: The Spice Race ; 3. Pleasant And Fruitful Lands: Japan, Siam, And The Coast ; 4. Brabbles And Jarres: The Arabian Sea ; 5. The Keye Of All India: The Cape, Surat, And Persia -- Part 2. Fluctuating Fortunes 1640-1710: 6. These Frowning Times: Recession, Famine, And War ; 7. A Seat Of Power And Trade: Bombay And Surat ; 8. Fierce Engageings: Calcutta And Bengal ; 9. Renegades And Rivals: Pirates, Interlopers, And Competitors ; 10. Eastern Approaches: Madras, Siam, And China -- Part 3. A Territorial Power 1710-1760: 11. The Dark Age: Bengal And The Farman ; 12. Outposts Of Effrontery: The Lesser Settlements ; 13. One Man's Pirate: Bombay And The Angreys ; 14. The Germ Of An Army: Madras And Dupleix ; 15. The Famous Two Hundred Days: Revolution In Bengal -- Part 4. A Parting Of The Ways 1760-1820: 16. Looking Eastward To The Sea: Southeast Asia And The China Trade ; 17. The Transfer Of Power: London And Bengal ; 18. Too Loyal, Too Faithful: Hasting's India ; 19. Tea Trade Versus Free Trade: The Far East And The Pacific ; 20. Epilogue. John Keay. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 457-462) And Index. A history of the English East India company.During 200 years the East India Company grew from a loose association of Elizabethan tradesmen into the grandest society of merchants in the universe. As a commercial enterprise it came to control half the world's trade and as a political entity it administered an embryonic empire. Without it there would have been no British India and no British Empire. In a tapestry ranging from Southern Africa to north-west America, and from the reign of Elizabeth I to that of Victoria, bizarre locations and roguish personality abound. From Bombay to Singapore and Hong Kong the political geography of today is, in some respects, the result of the Company. This book looks at the history of the East India Company.

The most infamous of the trading companies established by the great European powers, the English East India Company was the world's greatest trading power. For more than two centuries, they dominated world trade, raised armies and demolished nations. Now comes this major new book--a surprise hit in England. Photos and maps.

During 200 years the East India Company grew from an association of Elizabethan tradesmen into a powerful organization. As a commercial enterprise it came to control half the world's trade and as a political entity it administered an empire. This book looks at the history of the Company. During 200 years the East India Company grew from a loose association of Elizabethan tradesmen into "the grandest society of merchants in the universe". As a commercial enterprise it came to control half the world's trade and as a political entity it administered an embryonic empire. Without it there would have been no British India and no British Empire.;In a tapestry ranging from Southern Africa to north-west America, and from the reign of Elizabeth I to that of Victoria, bizarre locations and roguish personality abound. From Bombay to Singapore and Hong Kong the political geography of today is, in some respects, the result of the Company. This book looks at the history of the East India Company A history of the English East India company. During 200 years the East India Company grew from a loose association of Elizabethan tradesmen into "the grandest society of merchants in the universe". As a commercial enterprise it came to control half the world's trade and as a political entity it administered an embryonic empire. Without it there would have been no British India and no British Empire. In a tapestry ranging from Southern Africa to north-west America, and from the reign of Elizabeth I to that of Victoria, bizarre locations and roguish personality abound. From Bombay to Singapore and Hong Kong the political geography of today is, in some respects, the result of the Company. This book looks at the history of the East India Company. The English East India Company was the greatest trading power of all time, and was the most famous - and infamous - of the companies established by the great European powers. The Company's offices stretched from the streets of London to as far away as China, Australia, India, and the American colonies. For more than two centuries the Company dominated trade, raised armies, demolished nations, and established one of the most far-flung empires the world has ever known. Without it there would have been no British Empire