We found this rare pick, and rightly so, on the bookshelves of one of Mumbai's last surviving indie bookstores - Paperback inside Prithvi Theatre. Opium City: The Making of Early Victorian Bombay (Three Essays Collective) by Amar Farooqui caught our attention with its title, and then with its curious cover that depicted a Chinese opium smoker. As we read through the pages, it became increasingly clear that the book offers a fascinating insight into how opium linked Bombay to other cities of the world, as well as the hinterland, back in the 19th century.

A Chinese opium smoker. The book looks at how China's opium trade impacted India