Reading James' book RAJ gives one a much clearer impression of why the UK was eclipsed in the 20th century: no sense of distance or perspective. This book is an okay introduction to a basic history of the English conquest of the Subcontinent; as far as anything approaching history from an unbiased perspective, it falls far short. Snippy remarks about Gandhi, entirely too much editorialization about Mountbatten, and a surreal disregard for the people who inhabited what has become India pervade and nearly ruin this book. While those whose country was colonized will understandably present an entirely different portrait of this century-plus of history, this is the exact opposite: an almost jingoistic portrayal of the Raj and the "civilizing" mission of the English in India. I cannot recommend this book to anyone who does not take what they read with a large dose of suspicion.