Clive Of India by Mark Bence-Jones 1974 British India History Book 1st Edition

Published by Constable: London 1974 1st Edition

"Mark Bence‑Jones's Clive of India is a tightly researched portrait of Robert Clive, the eighteenth‑century soldier‑administrator who turned a modest East India Company posting into the foundation of British rule over the subcontinent. The biography follows Clive's rise from a clerk‑turned‑mercenary in Madras to the decisive victor at the Battle of Plassey (1757), where his daring night‑time assault on Siraj‑ud‑daulah's forces secured the Company's first major territorial gain and a lucrative diwani (revenue‑collection) contract for Bengal. Bence‑Jones details how Clive's blend of audacious risk‑taking, ruthless pragmatism, and shrewd political maneuvering allowed him to amass personal wealth while reshaping the Company's military and administrative structures, ultimately earning him the title "Baron Clive of Plassey." The book does not shy away from the darker aspects of Clive's legacy. Bence‑Jones examines the corruption, exploitation, and brutal reprisals that accompanied the Company's expansion, as well as the controversy surrounding Clive's later recall to England, his trial for alleged misconduct, and his eventual suicide in 1774. By weaving together official dispatches, personal correspondence, and contemporary accounts, the author paints a nuanced picture of a man whose ambition helped create the British Raj but whose methods left a lasting scar on Indian society and remain debated by historians to this day."

General wear, creasing etc to dustjacket. Small neat inscription sits on the inside cover behind dust jacket flap. A crisp, clean copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.