The author has made a signiflcant contribution to the literature of Indian geography with this work.He has displayed a competence in and mastery of the relevant literature from both India and abroad,and has applied his knowledge gained from the sources to generate a penetrating analysis of the mineral-based Urban settlements of Chotanagpur that is both original in its approach and novel in its subject-matter.The book embodies a substantial body of research and scholarly analysis.The author's development and social typology of mining towns is particularly interesting;he has opened a field that has as yet recieved insufficient attention,even in known western literature.