Lieutenant-Colonel William Henry Sleeman (1788–1856) spent his entire career in India as an army officer and later as a magistrate and resident. He was best known for his fight to suppress the activities of 'thugs', bands of criminals who attacked, robbed and often murdered innocent travellers. By the time of the publication of this two-volume work in 1844, Sleeman had lived in India for more than thirty years. In Volume 1, he draws on his travels and experiences, and over 48 chapters he discusses myriad aspects of Indian life, including Hinduism, local festivals and folklore, the 'thugs' he tried to eradicate, disease and famine, and the natural world. He also details the lives of a wide range of Indians, from key historical figures such as Aurungzebe, the Mogul emperor, to the ordinary people he encountered, such as washerwomen and elephant-drivers.
