Review "This weighty collection of eighty-six essays, with nearly a thousand illustrations, celebrates the history and the cultural life of the former second city of the British Empire. It does so with greater rigour and variety than is usual in such commemorations."--Observer"The stirring events of the city's past, its squalid present and none-too-reassuring future--all come to life through the 50 major articles in the two volumes. An invaluable addition to the bibliography of old Calcutta, the book is also a testimony to the intellectual vigour that has made Calcuttathe living city that it is."--The Statesman Product Description Celebrating Calcutta's tercentenary, these two volumes contain more than fifty major articles by leading authorities on Calcutta's history, social evolution, civil development, economy, and artistic and cultural life. A series of shorter essays examines the influences of notable individuals,places, and institutions. Contributors include Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, Sumit Sarkar, Amiya Bagchi, R.P. Gupta, Rajyeshwar Mitra, R.K. Dasgupta, Samik Banerjee, Manidip Chatterjee, and Moti Nandi. Lavishly illustrated, the volumes detail the city's fascinating past and rich cultural heritage, andoffer valuable insight into Calcutta's present and future challenges.