Pivoting his study on Tod's (1782-1835) influential Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, Freitag (history, Ithaca College) explores the relationships between the political power of the British imperial state, the construction of historical memories during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and how European writers and Indian nationalist elites used these constructions. In particular, he looks at sentiments in Tod's work that a century a half later would be characterized as orientalism. His chapters cover the context, Tod's life, restoration, protection, interpretation, valuation, and reconstruction. The study is revised from his 2001 doctoral dissertation in Middle East and Asian languages and cultures at Columbia University. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)