Ashin Das Gupta pioneered the field of Indian Ocean studies of the period from 1500 to 1800. This omnibus brings together two of his classic works exploring the complex reasons behind the decline of Indian merchants in the eighteenth century. In his introduction to this edition, P.J. Marshall provides a detailed overview of the two works and presents Ashin Das Gupta and his seminal contributions to readers. Irfan Habib's memorial essay contextualizes Professor ...
