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'Based on a wide range of both archival and published material, in both European and Asian languages, these essays evoke a rich palette of "contained conflict" that questions more fashionable, one-sided concepts of either "clash" or "partnership" between civilizations. By doing this, Subrahmanyam frankly and refreshingly opens up new ground.' -- Jos J L Gommans, Leiden University. 'Subrahmanyam's essays promise an interesting and much needed shift in our understanding of the Indo-European encounter in the pre-colonial period.' -- Lakshmi Subramanian, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata. '...his work...rests upon a unique combination of fascinating material in Asian and Western languages from Asian, European and north American archives [which] provide his work with the 'symmetry' that is so essential but so rare in understanding the clash of competing cultures.' -- Geoffrey Parker, Ohio State University. Pre-colonial India--and how it was perceived i n Europe at the time--has been variously written about. Of late, historians have felt the need to re-examine the sources through which this history was reconstructed. In this collection Subrahmanyam questions the lines of political and cultural division that traditional history writing has accepted. He demonstrates that the interface and balance of power between the Mughals and the Europeans are an integral part of a wider system of international political alliances. Mughals and Franks reflect on two and a half centuries of Mughal-European relations, beginning with the early years of the Mughals in India, and ending with the eighteenth century. It is based on extensive research into the Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, and Persian materials of the period, both archives and published texts. The work introduces the idea of 'contained conflict', which is used as a paradigm to study political and commercial relations in the period. These essays are an instance of the author 's command over the resources of Indian history, and a lively familiarity with archives across geographical boundaries. Like its companion From the Tagus to the Ganges, this work makes a major contribution to the understanding of Mughal-European relations in the early modern period. It will be of immense interest to historians of medieval India and to scholars and students engaged in debates about history writing in general. | 
