Glorious Failure

'Luminous.' * <b><I>The Spectator</I></b> * '[A] pacy, perceptive history of France's cack-handed foray into India.' * <b><I>Literary Review</I></b> * 'The absence of a measured and digestible account in English of France's once extensive empire in India has long been rued. Glorious Failure promises to be a glorious success.' -- <b>John Keay, historian, journalist and author</b> 'From the ambitious launch of the Compagnie des Indes to the astonishing but ultimately ephemeral expansion of its successor, the Compagnie perpétuelle des Indes, Ivermee charts the fascinating and oft-neglected rise and fall of French commercial and territorial designs in India in a compelling and accessible read.' -- <b>David Veevers, author of <i>The Great Defiance</i></b> 'Slashing through the euphemism and nostalgia rampant in Francophone scholarship, Ivermee unearths France's abortive attempt at conquering India. Blazingly bold, immensely readable, and an indispensable contribution to historical writing that lays bare the staggering human cost of Europe's imperial fantasies, Ivermee's book is a dazzling triumph.' -- <b>Shashi Tharoor, politician and author of <i>Inglorious Empire</i></b> 'An innovative and highly commended book. Early successes, the impact of the French Revolution and Enlightenment thinking, which did not inhibit slave-trading, are all examined in new research and told in an engaging, narrative style.' -- <b>Rosie Llewellyn-Jones, author of <i>Empire Building</i></b>