Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/14

ii enhanced by a historical sketch of the mediaeval kingdoms of the North and the Deccan and by a brief outline of the history of Southern Hindustan, a section to which attention should be devoted by the historian who wishes fully to understand India's present condition as well as her past. Throughout the work the author has taken advantage of every available source, whether literary, traditional, archaeological, monumental, epigraphic, or numismatic, including also the narratives of the early Chinese pilgrims who visited India and whose narratives yield important historic results.

The plan of the series has necessitated certain changes from the original edition of the author's work so as to bring the volume into closer accord with the others of this History; to these alterations Mr. Smith, like the other writers, has courteously consented, a concession which I, as editor, desire to acknowledge with appreciation. It was necessary, for example, to omit the foot-notes and marginal references, one or two maps, and some of the longer appendices that were of a strictly technical character, in order to bring the volume within the compass required. In no case, I believe, has anything been eliminated that was essential to the main theme, namely, the continuous story of India's development during the period indicated. The reader who may desire to pursue the subject further and devote attention more specifically to minute details will consult Mr. Smith's larger volume, which abounds in references.

In choosing the illustrations for the history of this period, as of the others, much care has been taken and