This work is an intensive study of certain facets of social and intellectual life in Bengal between 1872 and 1905, particularly Hindu revivalism. The period under discussion represents significant progress in the area of social and religious reform as well as a period which witnessed hostile attitudes towards such reforms. This is probably the first major work concerning the controversy that surrounded the Brahmo Marriage Bill of 1868–72 and the Consent Bill of 1890–92. The major source material for this book comprises contemporary Bengali literature, including essays, newspaper articles and correspondence, novels, short stories, drama, and poetry. Though this study purports to be a history of intellectual life in Bengal and the broader intellectual trends and movements, it is largely an examination of certain developments centred in or around Calcutta.

This book reconstructs the history of print and publishing in colonial Bengal by tracing the unexpected journey of Bharat Chandra’s Bidyasundar, the first book published by a Bengali entrepreneur. The introduction of printing technology by the British in Bengal expanded the scope of publication and consumption of books significantly. This book looks at the developments and the parallel publishing initiatives of that time. It examines local enterprises in colonial Bengal engaged in producing and selling books and explores the ways in which they charted out a cultural space in the 19th century. The work sheds fresh light on book production and the culture of print, and narrates the processes behind the printing of books to understand the multi-layered literary practices they sustained. A valuable addition to the history of publishing in India, this book will be useful to scholars and researchers of South Asian and Indian history, Bengali literature, media and cultural studies, and print and publishing studies. It will also appeal to those interested in the history of Bengal and the Bengali diaspora.