This history of South Asia attempts to provide a unified study of the region incorporating the spread of the major religions, the life of the ordinary people, the political systems and the impact of the Europeans. Particularly emphasis is given to the British period and its effects.

There are many histories of India, but Hugh Tinker's, when published in 1966, was the first history of South Asia. Professor Tinker's treatment of South Asia as a unified field of historical study gives a depth and breadth to this subject which has hitherto been lacking. In this second edition, considerably revised and expanded, two new chapters bring into focus the events of the last twenty years.