A Business of State

“Mishra has written an important book. This is not just a book that is extraordinarily well-researched but it also fills a major gap in the literature. The first hundred years of the Company has received very little attention from historians… More importantly, the book demonstrates the close and almost inevitable connection that existed between the English East India Company from its inception and the English state.”—Rudrangshu Mukherjee, The Wire

“A striking and important work that fills a large gap in our understanding of the early history of the East India Company, one of the major institutions at the heart of the British empire. A Business of State explores the many dimensions of the political life of this important corporate body, throwing fresh light on English domestic politics, corporate and political culture, as well as on an institution crucial in the development of British imperialism.”—Michael Braddick, author of God’s Fury, England’s Fire

“A Business of State is an important work of scholarship. The analysis is imaginative and meticulous, the writing authoritative and compelling. Mishra’s innovative approach to the early history of the English East India Company makes this an essential book in British and imperial history.”—Alison Games, author of The Web of Empire

“Original, well-conceptualized, and thoroughly researched, A Business of State is an extremely engaging and important work that offers a much-needed examination of the origins of the East India Company. Mishra reveals just how deeply this history is embedded in the political and commercial history of the early Stuart regime—and vice versa.”—Philip Stern, author of The Company-State