In early 1984, Masterpiece Theater ran The jewel in the crown, a fourteen part series based on Paul Scott’s The Raj Quartet. This book was published to allow fans a glimpse into the making of the series with a synopsis of the episodes, descriptions of the challenges in filming in modern day India, and brief bios of the cast and crew. There is also an excellent history of India written by James Cameron with emphasis on the difficulties that led to partition and how it all could have been handled better. Gandhi and Nehru are profiled but also is Muslim leader Jinnah, an almost forgotten figure today. The book also includes memories of the late Paul Scott, who died before his books were translated to the TV screen. Especially poignant is the brief essay by M. M. Kaye, the author of books about the Raj in the 1800s. The book is filled with color photographs of the series as well as historical black-and-white photos of India in the 1940s.

The book is a nostalgic remembrance of the series for those of us who loved it. It is also an introduction to the history of imperial India, how it all happened, and what went wrong, leading to the atrocities by Hindus and Muslims. Although there is no bibliography included, there are many books on the subject in local libraries, especially about Lord Mountbatten, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. And of course, this is a great introduction to the four books covered in the series as well as Scott’s epilogue, Staying on and an incentive to read them. ( )