A former officer in the Indian Air Force has written this discursive account of the major battles of the East India Company between 1612 and 1849. The study is threaded through with marks of the author's own assessments and his careful personal research. After a background overview of India's history and geography, chapters are on: the political and military ethos of the East India Company; the early conflicts with the Portuguese and the Dutch; conflicts with Mughal rulers; the Anglo-Marathi, Anglo-Mysore and Anglo-French Wars; and the later Gurkha and Sikh Wars. The final chapter looks at why the British triumphed. Appendices include listings of Governors-General, chronologies of events and battles, genealogies and notes on Europeans who served in the Indian rulers' armies. With bibliography, sketch maps and index.