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The Anarchy

The Relentless Rise of the East India Company

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The Anarchy

By: William Dalrymple
Narrated by: Sid Sagar
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About this listen

Bloomsbury presents The Anarchy by William Dalrymple, read by Sid Sagar.

THE TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2019
THE TIMES HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
FINALIST FOR THE CUNDILL HISTORY PRIZE 2020
LONGLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2019
A FINANCIAL TIMES, OBSERVER, DAILY TELEGRAPH, WALL STREET JOURNAL AND TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

‘Dalrymple is a superb historian with a visceral understanding of India … A book of beauty’ – Gerard DeGroot, The Times

In August 1765 the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and forced him to establish a new administration in his richest provinces. Run by English merchants who collected taxes using a ruthless private army, this new regime saw the East India Company transform itself from an international trading corporation into something much more unusual: an aggressive colonial power in the guise of a multinational business.

William Dalrymple tells the remarkable story of the East India Company as it has never been told before, unfolding a timely cautionary tale of the first global corporate power.

©2019 William Dalrymple (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 18th Century Asia Colonialism & Post-Colonialism India Military Modern Politics & Government South Asia Colonial Period War Thought-Provoking Iran Middle East Dutch East India
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The history is amazing, the writing is great and well resourced. My only beef is with the narrator. It is quite infuriating having all non-English names and words butchered and basically just pronounced in a weird way. I feel like it can’t have been very hard to ask a French speaker how to pronounce “compagnie” or “gentil”. Not sure if the Indian and other foreign names are also butchered, but I had to look up what the narrator meant a few times which takes you out of the story.
Besides that it’s fascinating, and an important part of history that is strangely lacking in many history lessons!

Amazing history, average performance

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Dalrymple has clearly done a great deal of research for this book. Overall, he tells the story quite well but some parts, particularly the Mughal Empire internal conflicts, can be a little hard to follow. Perhaps I would have remembered characters' names a bit better if I was reading as opposed to listening? As for the narration, Sid Sagar is very engaging and moves seamlessly between English oration and pronunciation of Indian names and places.
Would definitely recommend if you're really into history.

Overall, very engaging story.

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Incredibly insightful, informative and compelling. Dalrymple unpacks the history of the EIC, and it’s place in Indian, British, and world history in rivetingly entertaining fashion!

The best book in the subject!

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- feels like a lot of original research
- very engaging

To me the book was really about:
- corporate social responsibility
- the last days of the Mughal empire
- the impact and consequences of good and bad decisions made by powerful individuals
- the impact of individuals in shaping history

Awesome

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well worth the 'read' for the awareness of the destruction caused by the avarice of the directors of the East India Compan

lesson for today

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