It was with great pleasure that I accepted Dr. S. K.Banerji's invitation to write a few words by way of introduction to his Life of the Emperor Humayun, seeing that it was under my supervision, at the School of Oriental Studies, London, that he prepared his PH.D. thesis on the early years of Humayun's reign. During the two years that he spent here I had ample opportunity of seeing his work and formed a high opinion of his capacity and enthusiasm.
Since his return to India he has become Reader in Indian History at the Lucknow University, and he has devoted such leisure as his duties permitted him to the expansion of his thesis and a continuation of the life of Raja Humayun, with a view to producing a full and definite history of that gifted but unfortunate monarch. The present volume brings the story down to the defeat of Humayun Nama at the hands of Sher Shah in 1540 and his consequent abandonment of his Empire : the rest of the story will be told in a second volume which is under preparation.