A mansion filled with Western art in the center of old Calcutta, the Mughal emperor's letters in an archive in the French Alps, the names of Italian adventurers scratched into the walls of Egyptian temples. In this book, Jasanoff delves into the stories behind vestiges such as these to uncover the lives of people who lived on the frontiers of the British Empire during a pivotal century of its formation. She traces the exploits of collectors to tell an intimate history of imperialism, offering a fresh account of European imperialism that challenges received wisdom about how imperial power was asserted in Asia and the Middle East. This book enters a world where people lived, loved, mingled, and identified with one another in ways richer and more complex than we might have believed possible.--From publisher description.;Introduction: a world of empires, an empire of the world -- Conquests: War of the world ; Trade to conquest ; Clive of India, clive of Britain ; Empire unmasked -- Crossings: Beyond the frontier ; Chameleon capital ; Orientalists? ; Connoisseurs? -- Compromises: Going un-native ; Settling ; Staying on ; Legacies -- Invading Egypt: A new war, a new empire ; Westward bound ; Empire by design ; Abdallah Bonaparte -- Seizing Seringapatam: Citizen Tipu ; L'Alliance Française ; A dangerous liaison ; The fall, and after -- The objects of victory: Trophies ; A tropical grand tour ; From Kaveri to Nile -- Rivals: Expansion under cover ; War and piece ; Personal and political ; An amateur abroad -- Removals: The partisans ; The patriot ; A clash of reinventions ; Gentlemen and capitalists -- Recoveries: The two Egypts ; France redux ; Preservers and destroyers ; Collecting back -- Conclusion: collecting an empire.