Utilizes a wide range of unconventional sources, newly translated from an astonishing sweep of Asian and European languages, including Persian, Sanskrit, Gujarati, and French.

Offers comparative analyses of recently tapped data from imperial, colonial, regional, and private archives which contribute to novel perspectives about townsfolk, entrepreneurs, and leaders caught in the interstices of competing political systems. 

For scholars and readers of South Asian and global history, history of capitalism, comparative early modern studies, business history, family enterprise, and political change.