The interface between the land and the sea is generally seen in terms of the influence of the ocean upon the coastal land. The research papers in this collection, however, view the ports as integral parts of their hinterlands which in some cases extended far into the interior. Thus, instead of being isolates looking seawards, port-cities and port-towns were very much a part of the local, regional and subcontinental economy, society and polity.

Conceptual and methodological issues have been discussed in the first essay. The remaining studies take up Indian ports, port complexes and their hinterlands over a period of nearly four centuries, spanning the Mughal, Maratha, British and postcolonial periods. The specific port-cities and port-towns studied are Calcutta, Masulipatam, Pondicherry and Cuddalore on the east coast and Chaul, Surat, Bombay, Cambay, Broach, and Karachi on the west coast. Essays throw light on the morphology, economy, society and political organization of port-cities and their hinterlands, The studies also bring out the bearing of political change and the process of state-formation on the character and functions of ports in the pre-colonial period, and of colonial domination before and after the Industrial Revolution. These essays are based on a large variety of contemporary sources in English, French, Portuguese, Marathi, Gujarati and Rajasthani. Altogether, the eighteen studies cut across the boundaries of the disciplines of history, geography, demography, economics and sociology, and suggest several fruitful approaches for the study of the port-cities and port-towns as well as Indian economy and society.