When first published in 1963, this classic work on Mughal India aimed at presenting a mass of critically analysed material on the agrarian conditions of precolonial India. This was a subject which, until then, had received little attention beyond a short though seminal monograph by moreland. Many findings in Habib's book, mainly with regard to administrative institutions and the position of zamindars, received general acceptance. Others, notably the thesis on agrarian crisis, were contested. During the thirty-six years since its first publication, the author has continued his researches while keeping himself abreast of new scholarship. This has enabled him to carry out a thorough revision, adding new material throughout and rewriting some portions extensively. This new edition contains much that is fresh in both description and perception, for example in the treatment of agricultural technology, price movements, and the village community. There is an expanded bibliography, a new descriptive index, and new illustrations and maps. No student of medieval India can do without this long-awaited new edition of a major work of Indian history.
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