Biplab Dasgupta (1940–2005) was Editor of NANDAN magazine. Until his retirement, he was Professor of Economics at Calcutta University, and founder–director of the Centre for Urban Economic Studies there. He was formerly a Member of Parliament (of the Lok Sabha from 1989 and the Rajya Sabha from 1994). He has worked for various UN organizations, including ILO, UNESCO and UNRISD.

• Preface; 1. Introduction; PART I: Up to 1204: 2. Evolution of the State; 3. Emergence of Cities: Up to 1204; 4. Communities, Culture and State Power; PART II: 1204-1757: 5. Political History (1204-1757); 6. State Power and Land System Under the Turko-Afghans; Appendix A; Appendix B; 7. Cities: the Period Between 1204 and the Mid-sixteenth Century; 8. Communities, Cultures and State Power; PART III: 1620-1757: 9. Political History; 10. Bengal in the Middle Ages, as Seen Through Foreign Eyes; 11. The Portugese in Bengal; 12. Trade in Pre-Colonial Bengal; 13. Palashi: the Inside Story of a 'Fixed' Match; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Subject Index; Author Index

'A valuable resource for those concerned with the economic basis of the European colonial conquest of India.' —Jose Abraham, 'American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences'