Early Travels in India: 1583-1619

Early Travels in India: 1583-1619, edited by William Foster (originally 1921, reprinted 2007), compiles firsthand narratives from seven English explorers who journeyed through northern and western India during the reigns of Emperors Akbar and Jahangir, offering vivid accounts of their encounters with Mughal courts, cities like Agra and Fatehpur Sikri, trade routes, customs, and landscapes from Ralph Fitch's pioneering overland trek to observations by William Finch, Thomas Coryat, Nicholas Withington, and John Mildenhall. These primary sources detail perilous voyages, interactions with Portuguese rivals, local merchants, and rulers, gems and spice trades, as well as cultural insights into Hindu and Muslim societies, providing invaluable historical glimpses into pre-colonial India's vibrancy before Sir Thomas Roe's embassy.