CONDITION USED GOOD, BOMBAY A HISTORY , TERESA ALBUQUERQUE, PAPERBACK , 1992

This authoritative volume chronicles the transformation of Bombay during its most formative years — from 1840 to 1865 — when the city laid the foundations for its rise as India’s premier commercial and industrial hub. Drawing on rich historical detail, the book explores the city’s evolution through free trade, maritime expansion, railway connectivity, and the cotton boom of the American Civil War era.

It examines the emergence of Bombay’s textile mills, the establishment of the High Court, and major civic reforms under Sir Bartle Frere that reshaped urban life — from improved water supply and drainage to reclamation projects and city planning.

Comprehensive and meticulously researched, Urbs Prima in Indis captures how a colonial port transformed into the vibrant, cosmopolitan metropolis destined to become India’s “First City.”