History
This section deals with the history of the mutiny, the making of the empire and encompasses books, both contemporary to the time and modern. Books of opinions, suggestions and arguments, and there were plenty, are listed under a separate section.
The most extensive works are by Kaye & Malleson. However, it must be noted that William Kaye died before finishing the work, and Malleson took it up from the third volume of Kaye. Malleson then continued onwards as compiler and editor of the six-volume set, which comprises both Kaye’s work and his own. When Kaye died, Malleson not only completed the history but also revised Kaye’s work to reflect his own perspective. We must remember that these books reflect the opinions and perspectives of their times; if the modern reader cannot come to terms with that, then the modern books, by Saul David, Christopher Hibbert and Julian Spilsbury, might be more to their liking. However, we must consider history from all perspectives and not just those which are attuned to our sensibilities.
| Author, Title and Publisher | Notes |
| Ball, Charles. The History of the Indian Mutiny. 2 vols. London: London Printing and Publishing Co., 1858–1859. | Two volumes, with pictures, maps and descriptions of events submitted by eye-witnesses. |
| Chick, Noah Alfred, comp. Annals of the Indian Rebellion, 1857–58. Calcutta: Sanders, Cones and Co., 1859. | Chick’s work is less of a history and more of a compilation of events submitted by eyewitnesses. It takes up stories which are otherwise missing in more stately works like Kaye’s and Malleson’s, but must be read with some caution in matters of absolute truth. |
| Cochrane, J., comp. Narrative of the Indian Mutinies of 1857, Compiled for the Madras Military Male Orphan Asylum. Text prepared by William Thomas. Madras: Military Male Orphan Asylum Press, 1858. | This book does not encompass the whole mutiny and ends with the relief of Lucknow. |
| David, Saul. The Indian Mutiny: 1857. London: Viking, 2003. | |
| Delhi Gazette, Former Editor of, comp. The Indian Mutiny to the Fall of Delhi. London: G. Routledge & Co., 1857. | A curious book, written by George Wagentreiber. it is somewhat verging on hysterical, but considering how Wagentreiber escaped Delhi, it can be excused. |
| Dodd, George. The History of the Indian Revolt and of the Expeditions to Persia, China, and Japan, 1856-7-8. London: W. & R. Chambers, 1859. | Well written and easy to understand. |
| Edwardes, Michael. Red Year: The Indian Rebellion of 1857. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1973. | |
| Fitchett, W.H. The Tale of the Great Mutiny. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1904 | Fitchett was going more for the effect of mutiny rather than history. His descriptions are often lurid and his history lacking. |
| Frost, Thomas. Complete Narrative of the Mutiny in India from its Commencement to Present Time. London: Read & Co., 1859 | The narrative is not complete and ends before the Fall of Delhi. I have not been able to trace part 2. |
| Hibbert, Christopher. The Great Mutiny: India 1857. London: Allen Lane, 1978.Hibbert, Christopher. The Great Mutiny: India 1857. New York: Viking Press, 1978. | |
| Holmes, Thomas Rice Edward. A History of the Indian Mutiny. 4th ed. London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1891. | A good, compact history, easier to digest than Kaye’s and Malleson’s. |
| Hope, Ascott R. The Story of the Indian Mutiny. London: Frederick Warne & Co. | |
| James, Lawrence. Raj. The Making of British India. Great Britain: Abacus, 1997 | |
| Kaye, John William. A History of the Sepoy War in India. 3 vols. London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1864–1876. | Pincott’s Analytical Index refers to the 3 volumes of Kaye and the 3 volumes of Malleson. It does not work with the 6-volume Kaye’s & Malleson’s. For the index to make sense, it is necessary to have copies printed 1880 or before, of the 2 sets. |
| Kaye, John William, and George Bruce Malleson. Kaye’s and Malleson’s History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857–8. Edited by G. B. Malleson. 6 vols. London: W.H. Allen & Co., 1888–1889. | |
| Keay, John. The Honourable Company. A History of the English East India Company. London: Harper Collins, 1991 | |
| Keene, Henry George. Fifty-Seven: Some Account of the Administration of Indian Districts During the Revolt of the Bengal Army. London: W. H. Allen & Co., 1883. | |
| Keene, Henry George. Hindustan Under Freelances 1770-1820. London: Brown, Langham & Co. 1907 | Sketches of Military Adventure in Hindustan during the Period Immediately Preceding British Occupation. |
| Majumdar, R. C. The Sepoy Mutiny and the Revolt of 1857. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay, 1957. | |
| Malleson, George Bruce. History of the Indian Mutiny, 1857–1858. 3 vols. London: William H. Allen & Co., 1878–1880. | See the reference in Kaye, regarding the Analytical Index. |
| Malleson, G. B. The Indian Mutiny of 1857. London: Seeley and Co., 1891. | |
| MacMunn, George. The Indian Mutiny in Perspective. London: G. Bell & Sons, 1931 | |
| Metcalf, Thomas R. The Aftermath of Revolt: India, 1857-1870. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1964. | |
| Narrative of the Indian Revolt, from Its Outbreak to the Capture of Lucknow by Sir Colin Campbell. London: George Vickers, 1858. | Not so much a history but a compilation of events. Interesting to read but should be taken with a pinch of salt. |
| Pincott, Frederic. Analytical Index to Sir John W. Kaye’s History of the Sepoy War & Col. G.B. Malleson’s History of the Indian Mutiny, combined in 1 Volume. London: W.G. Allen & CO. 1880 | |
| Raikes, Charles. The Englishman in India. London: Longmans, Green & Co. 1867 | A brief history of India, designed to interest young people who might be considering a career on the subcontinent. As it goes into the history of the East India Company without being overly scholarly, it is of interest here. |
| Robinson, Jane. Angels of Albion: Women of the Indian Mutiny. London: Viking, 1996. | |
| Sedgwick, Captain F. R. The Indian Mutiny of 1857: A Sketch of the Principal Military Events. London: Foster Groom & Co., 1909; repr., 1919. | |
| Sen, Surendra Nath. Eighteen Fifty-Seven. Delhi: Publications Division, 1957. | A very interesting book, published 100 years after the events. Sen is clear, descriptive and does not add unnecessary emotion. Concise. |
| Spilsbury, Julian. The Indian Mutiny. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007. | |
| Taylor, P.J.O. What Really Happened During the Mutiny, a Day-by-Day Account of the Major Events of 1857-59 in India. Oxford University Press, 1997 | |
| Wagner, Kim A. – The Great Fear of 1857 -Rumours, Conspiracies, and the Making of the Indian Uprising (Oxford: Peter Lang Ltd., 2010) | |
| Wood, Evelyn. The Revolt in Hindustan 1857-59. London: Methuen & Co. 1908 |
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Mutiny Reflections 