be copies of The Pickwick Papers and other literary classics, and large quantities were shipped to India, where it quickly became a bible of political extremists. It was excluded from the catalogue of the British Library to prevent Indian students from accessing it. In India, the book remained banned until the end of the Raj forty years later. Savarkar's views The book describes the Indian Rebellion of 1857 as a unified and national uprising of India as a nation against British authority. Savarkar states that both the British and the Indians committed cruel and brutal acts during the uprising, but characterizes such acts by Indians as justifiable acts of vengeance. On the other hand, he describes such acts by the British as oppressive and disproportionate, giving the example of massacres by General James George Smith Neill. According to Savarkar, the number of Indians killed by Neill in Allahabad alone was more than all the English people killed, but the colonial historians described him as a "bold and brave" man, whose "timely cruelty" showed his "great love of humanity". Stating that Krishna advised Arjuna to abandon the code of ethics against an enemy who was unethical, Savarkar argues that the cruel acts committed by Indians in revenge were justifiable. Unlike Savarkar's later works, the book emphasizes Hindu-Muslim unity, stating that they worked together for "freeing their country". In the introduction to the book, Savarkar states that the feeling of hatred against the Muslims was necessary during Shivaji's period, but it would be "unust and foolish" to nurse such hatred now. Critical reception and legacy Regarding the national character of the revolt, some erstwhile and modern histories draw similar conclusions as Savarkar, while others, including R.C. Majumdar, disagree with Savarkar's conclusions in his book on the national and unified character of the mutiny. The book is considered to be an influential work in Indian history and nationalist writing, and also one of Savarkar's most influential works in developing and framing ideas of Hinduism. References Bibliography External links Marathi-language literature Literature of Indian independence movement 1909 non-fiction books India House Works about the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Vinayak Damodar Savarkar Censored books