bout de papier, Vol. 8, No. 4 (1991) — Fall 1991 // Automne 1991, p. 49
The Cambridge Encyclopedia of India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Bhutan and the Maldives edited by
Francis Robinson. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1989, $96.75.
Its title notwithstanding, this book is not an encyclopedia in the conventional sense, but rather a reference work produced in a manner that will be familiar to readers of, for example, the New Cambridge Modern History. That is, it is a collection of essays by a variety of authorities, in this instance drawn mainly from South Asia, Britain and the United States, but with representation also from Canada and Australia. The contributions are not arranged alphabetically by subject, but are grouped according to topic: Land, Peoples, History, Politics, Foreign Relations and so on. As the editor points out in his preface, one result is to enable the reader to “absorb a large chunk of know!- edge” about a single topic. At the same time, an excellent index makes it possible to extract information on specific subjects as one would from an encyclopedia organized in the usual way.
The individual essays are admirably concise, but one may wonder whether they offer the scope to fulfil the editor’s “aim of offering new knowledge to the specialist”. Nor does the organization lead to new insights: the periodization of the “History” section, for example, does not encourage the exploration of underlying continuities. This section, moreover, ends with independence in 1947; to find out what happened afterwards, one must turn to “Politics”.. There is also the occasional irritating error, such as the misspelling of the name of Simon Fraser University in the list of contributors. Canada’s relations with South Asia receive little attention, the index referring only to brief mentions of immigration policy and a few figures on aid.
These, however, are minor complaints. This is an excellent reference book, beautifully produced and lavishly embellished with illustrations and graphics. It would be an admirable starting point for anyone planning to visit or take up residence in South Asia or just curious about the region. Brief but carefully chosen suggestions for further reading at the end of each essay will encourage the reader to expand his or her knowledge further.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 8, No. 4 (1991) — Fall 1991 // Automne 1991, p. 49. Read the rest of this issue →
