Imprint of the Raj: How Fingerprinting Was Born in Colonial India - Softcover

Sengoopta, Chandak

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0330491407 ISBN 13: 9780330491402

Publisher: Pan Books, 2004

Synopsis

Opening in 1902 with the first case in a British criminal court to use the radical new technique, this is an original exploration of fingerprinting's birth in colonial India and its subsequent repercussions: fascinating, beautifully illustrated, and based on hitherto unpublished research. 'Sengoopta has done a great service... Deliciously understated, yet precise and powerful, the book moves effortlessly from the detail of fingerprinting to the wider implications' Guardian 'Not just an investigation of a relatively arcane area of criminology but an altogether grander piece of revisionist history' Literary Review 'Well-researched and stylish...a heady mix of nostalgia, history, science and, above all, a compelling read' India Today

About this title

Review:

... a heady mix of nostalgia, history, science and, above all, a compelling read ... -- India Today, April 28, 2003

...gives a lively and unique description of our colonial heritage and recounts a largely unknown story. -- Geographical Magazine, May 2003

A truly fascinating account... The pages present much technical information but cleverly weave this into an accessible narrative. -- History Today, April 2003

An absorbing tale of scientific criminology... Deliciously understated, yet precise and powerful... -- Guardian, March 1, 2003

Sengoopta's strength is in following not only the twists in the system's development but also the setbacks and alternative proposals. -- TLS (Times Literary Supplement), 23 May 2003

Synopsis:

A fascinating account of the invention of fingerprinting in colonial India and the story of how the technique was exported back to Victorian England. Opening with the first case in a British criminal court to use the radical new technique of fingerprinting to identify the perpetrators of crime in 1902 this riveting book takes us back to the origins of fingerprinting in India. Despite many books on the subject of fingerprints in general, none have looked closely at the fact that this standard tool of forensic science was born in India during the Raj. As the author points out, with the exception of curry there is not one other instance of something so fundamental to British life being imported fully-formed from the Empire and then being tailored to fit conditions at home. Based on original and hitherto unpublished research imprint of the Raj gives a unique insight into our colonial past and offers a vivid account of this extraordinary and largely ignored story.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pan Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0330491407
• ISBN 13: 9780330491402
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256