'A fascinating manifesto on statecraft ... Sagar (brings) us a fine, original and unjustly overlooked contribution to Indian political thought.' - Shashi Tharoor, Indian MP and author of Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India

'This book illustrates what historians do - masterful research identifying significant aspects of the past ... Machiavelli meets the British Empire!' - Robin Jeffrey, Professor, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

'A unique Indian contribution to the genre of Art of Government treatises, that skilfully fuses liberal constitutionalism with raj dharma.' - Niraja Gopal Jayal, Avantha Chair, India Institute, King's College London

'Sagar intervenes brilliantly in debates on good governance by bringing to light a hitherto unknown, but still immensely relevant, nineteenth-century treatise on statecraft. This beautifully written book would appeal to all those interested in the richness and plurality of Indian political thought.' - Nandini Gooptu, Associate Professor of South Asian Studies, University of Oxford

'A valuable contribution to knowledge about princely states in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century India.' - TCA Raghavan, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, and author of History Men: Jadunath Sarkar, G.S. Sardesai, Raghubir Sinh and Their Quest for India's Past

'This hitherto neglected but important nineteenth-century Indian political treatise on what makes a good ruler will fascinate anyone interested in Indian colonial history and political theory.' - John Zubryzcki, author of The House of Jaipur

Rahul Sagar is Global Associate Professor of Political at New York Abu Dhabi. He previously taught at Princeton and Yale-NUS. His book, Secrets and Leaks: The of State Secrecy, was awarded the Myres S. McDougal Prize and the Louis Brownlow Book Award. His most recent book is To Raise A Fallen People: How Nineteenth Century Indians Saw Their World and Shaped Ours.