The Jammu Fox: A Biography of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir, 1792-1857

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This comprehensive biography depicts in depth the complex and controversial man who played a significant role in the history of northwestern India during the nineteenth century.xA0;Described by his European contemporaxAD;ries as x93;the Talleyrand of the Eastx201D; and the x93;Ulysses of the hills,x201D; Maharaja Gulab Singh was perhaps the most dexterous and successful Indian diplomat of the nineteenth century. At a time when other Indian states were falling to the British, Gulab Singh founded the kingdom of Kashmir, which survived under his heirs for over a century.xA0;Based largely on primary sources in English, Persian, and Urdu, this new biography provides fresh insights into Gulab Singhx2019;s motives and policies, and brings into focus his role as fiefholder, Raja, and Maharaja, and as a man, soldier, and politician. However, the bookis more than a portrait of a man. It sheds light on the entire diplomatic history of northxAD;western India during the period.xA0;This big and important biography is exceptionally well written. The authorx2019;s narrative skill provides a fascinating picxAD;ture of the diplomatic intrigue, sadistic tortures, the licentious activities of the Sikh army, and the economic exploitation of the common people.

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Bawa Satinder Singh is Associate ProxAD;fessor of History at the Florida State University, Tallahassee. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin.