Now commissioning

Write for the Review.

We commission long review essays from academics and specialists: essays that find a book’s argument, test its evidence and its omissions, and place it in India’s intellectual and political life.

See the 47 open books Full guidelines on Substack

Length: At least 2,000 words
Honorarium: ₹10,000–12,000
Reply: Within two working days
Editing: Two rounds, thirty days
Format: .docx · EB Garamond 12 pt

Awaiting a reviewer

The books we want reviewed.

Choose a book and send us a proposal. Two titles are meant to be read together, and are shown tied as a pair.

China Studies

11 open

No.	Title	Author	To be paired with		Status	Propose
No.	Title	Author	Title	Author	Status	Propose
01	When Nehru Looked East: Origins of India-US Suspicion and India-China Rivalry	Francine Frankel	—	—	Open	Propose a review of When Nehru Looked East: Origins of India-US Suspicion and India-China Rivalry
02	The Transpacific Chinese Diaspora: Migration Networks from China to Canada and Beyond, 1788–1898	Zhongping Chen	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Transpacific Chinese Diaspora: Migration Networks from China to Canada and Beyond, 1788–1898
03	Xi Jinping: The Governance of China	Compilation of Major Literature of Xi	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China
04	The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties that Helped Create Modern China	Jonathan Kaufman	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties that Helped Create Modern China
05	China's India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World	Bertil Lintner	—	—	Open	Propose a review of China's India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World
06	To Rule All Under Heaven: A History of Classical China, From Confucius to The First Emperor	Andrew Seth Meyer	—	—	Open	Propose a review of To Rule All Under Heaven: A History of Classical China, From Confucius to The First Emperor
07	Railway Imperialism in China: A Political Biography	Zheng Yangwen	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Railway Imperialism in China: A Political Biography
08	The Hundred Flowers Campaign and the Chinese Intellectuals	Roderick MacFarquhar	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Hundred Flowers Campaign and the Chinese Intellectuals
09	Chiang Kai-Shek's Politics of Shame: Leadership, Legacy, and National Identity in China	Grace C Huang	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Chiang Kai-Shek's Politics of Shame: Leadership, Legacy, and National Identity in China
10	Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958–1962	Frank Dikötter	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Mao's Great Famine: The History of China's Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958–1962
11	The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962–1976	Frank Dikötter	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Cultural Revolution: A People's History, 1962–1976

Development, Economics, and Public Policy

11 open

No.	Title	Author	To be paired with		Status	Propose
No.	Title	Author	Title	Author	Status	Propose
12	A Revolution of Rules: The Regulatory Reform of India's Nonprofit Sector	Erica Bornstein	—	—	Open	Propose a review of A Revolution of Rules: The Regulatory Reform of India's Nonprofit Sector
13	The Logic of Corruption: Why it Persists and Why Reforms Fail	Chandra Shekhar	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Logic of Corruption: Why it Persists and Why Reforms Fail
14	Market Corrections Not Government Interventions: A Path to Improve the US Economy	Clifford Winston	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Market Corrections Not Government Interventions: A Path to Improve the US Economy
15	Governing China's Digital Transformation: Industrial Policy, Regulatory Governance, and Innovation	Jiwei Qian	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Governing China's Digital Transformation: Industrial Policy, Regulatory Governance, and Innovation
16	Dancing with the Giants: China, India, and the Global Economy	L Alan Winters and Shahid Yusuf (Ed.)	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Dancing with the Giants: China, India, and the Global Economy
17	Majority State Ownership of Oil and Mining Sectors in Africa: The Resource Curse Undermined	John James Quinn	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Majority State Ownership of Oil and Mining Sectors in Africa: The Resource Curse Undermined
18	Turning Youth Voice into Sustainable Public Policy: The Promise of Urban Democracy	James Sloam	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Turning Youth Voice into Sustainable Public Policy: The Promise of Urban Democracy
19	A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy	Joel Mokyr	The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations	Philippe Aghion, Celine Antonin, and Simon Bunel	Open	Propose a review of A Culture of Growth: The Origins of the Modern Economy
20	The East Asian Welfare Model: Evaluating Welfare Politics and Outcomes from an Ideal-Typical Perspective	Christian Aspalter (Ed.)	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The East Asian Welfare Model: Evaluating Welfare Politics and Outcomes from an Ideal-Typical Perspective
21	A Sixth of Humanity: Independent India's Development Odyssey	Devesh Kapur & Arvind Subramanian	—	—	Open	Propose a review of A Sixth of Humanity: Independent India's Development Odyssey
22	Freedom's Forge: How American Businesses Produced Victory in World War II	Arthur Herman	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Freedom's Forge: How American Businesses Produced Victory in World War II

Culture and History

15 open

No.	Title	Author	To be paired with		Status	Propose
No.	Title	Author	Title	Author	Status	Propose
23	The Mughal Empire	John F Richards	Writing the Mughal World: Studies on Culture and Politics	Muzaffar Alam and Sanjay Subrahmanyam	Open	Propose a review of The Mughal Empire
24	Paganism Persisting: A History of Paganisms since Antiquity	Robin Douglas and Francis Young	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Paganism Persisting: A History of Paganisms since Antiquity
25	The Other Great Game: The Opening of Korea and the Birth of Modern East Asia	Sheila Miyoshi Jager	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Other Great Game: The Opening of Korea and the Birth of Modern East Asia
26	Bureaucrat and Intellectual in the Ottoman Empire	Cornell H. Fleischer	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Bureaucrat and Intellectual in the Ottoman Empire
27	The Peshwa Trilogy	Uday S Kulkarni	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Peshwa Trilogy
28	India's First Radicals: Young Bengal and the British Empire	Rosinka Chaudhuri	—	—	Open	Propose a review of India's First Radicals: Young Bengal and the British Empire
29	Being Hindu, Being Indian: Lala Lajpat Rai's Ideas of Nationhood	Vanya Vaidehi Bhargav	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Being Hindu, Being Indian: Lala Lajpat Rai's Ideas of Nationhood
30	The Coming of the Spanish Civil War	Paul Preston	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Coming of the Spanish Civil War
31	Children of Abraham: The 1400-year-old History of Jewish-Muslim Relations	Marc David Baer	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Children of Abraham: The 1400-year-old History of Jewish-Muslim Relations
32	Routledge Handbook of Punjab Studies	Pritam Singh and Meena Dhanda	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Routledge Handbook of Punjab Studies
33	Pirate Imperialism: Trade Abolition, and Global Suppression of Maritime Raiding 1825–1870	Manuel Barcia	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Pirate Imperialism: Trade Abolition, and Global Suppression of Maritime Raiding 1825–1870
34	Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture	Ruth Benedict	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Chrysanthemum and the Sword: Patterns of Japanese Culture
35	Peasants into Frenchmen	Eugen Weber	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Peasants into Frenchmen
36	Coercion, Capital, and European States: AD 990–1992	Charles Tilly	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Coercion, Capital, and European States: AD 990–1992
37	The Sinews of Power: War, Money, and the English State: 1688–1783	John Brewer	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Sinews of Power: War, Money, and the English State: 1688–1783

Law and Politics

10 open

No.	Title	Author	To be paired with		Status	Propose
No.	Title	Author	Title	Author	Status	Propose
38	Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Party, and the Transformation of American Democracy	Sidney Milkis	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Party, and the Transformation of American Democracy
39	A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles De Gaulle	Julian Jackson	—	—	Open	Propose a review of A Certain Idea of France: The Life of Charles De Gaulle
40	Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire	Kurt Andersen	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire
41	The Migration Question: Politics, Economics and the Failure of Border Security	Leila Simona Talani and Matilde Rosina	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Migration Question: Politics, Economics and the Failure of Border Security
42	FDR Goes to War	Burton Folsom Jr and Anita Folsom	—	—	Open	Propose a review of FDR Goes to War
43	The Sovereign State and Its Competitors	Hendrik Spruyt	—	—	Open	Propose a review of The Sovereign State and Its Competitors
44	Democracy in Hard Places	Scott Mainwaring and Tarek Masoud	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Democracy in Hard Places
45	Tareekh Pe Justice: Reforms For Indias District Courts	Prashant Reddy	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Tareekh Pe Justice: Reforms For Indias District Courts
46	Abandoning Democracy for the Nation	Filip Milacic	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Abandoning Democracy for the Nation
47	Unshackling the Elephant: Transforming India Law, Culture and Economy	Anand Prasad	—	—	Open	Propose a review of Unshackling the Elephant: Transforming India Law, Culture and Economy

How to propose

From proposal to print.

01
Choose a book
Pick a title from the list below. We commission reviews of these books only, and do not accept unsolicited drafts.
02
Write a 300-word synopsis
Make an argument about the book’s significance, its limits or its context, and its relevance for India. Proposals that only summarise the book are not considered.
03
Add your note, timeline and CV
A brief note on your familiarity with the wider scholarship, a proposed timeline, and your academic CV.
04
Send it to the submissions desk
Email submissions@newdelhireviewofbooks.in. The “Propose” button beside each book starts the email for you.
05
Hear back in two working days
If you have not heard from us within two working days, please take the proposal as declined.
06
Agree the terms, then write
Once accepted, the timeline, structure and honorarium are confirmed in writing with the Editor-in-Chief. Please do not begin the full draft before that.

The terms

What we ask of writers.

Generative AI: Not accepted. Work showing significant generative-AI use, as detected by Pangram, is rejected; a commission already under way is cancelled. A Pangram report goes with the first draft.
Exclusivity: Once commissioned, the piece, or anything substantially like it, may not be offered to another publication.
Publication rights: Once a review is accepted, NDRB reserves all publication rights to it.
Cancellation: A commission may be cancelled if the draft does not reflect the accepted proposal or our correspondence, or does not meet NDRB’s standards.
Retraction: If plagiarism or fabrication is found after publication, the editorial board may revise or retract the piece.
Deadlines: The completed review is due by the deadline agreed at commissioning. Late first drafts and revisions are handled under our late-submission policy.

These terms summarise NDRB’s Write for us page; the full text, read with the NDRB Editorial Style Guide and any terms agreed with the Editor-in-Chief, governs every commission. Read it on Substack.

Questions? Write to the submissions desk.

submissions@newdelhireviewofbooks.in

The books we want reviewed.

From proposal to print.

Choose a book

Write a 300-word synopsis

Add your note, timeline and CV

Send it to the submissions desk

Hear back in two working days

Agree the terms, then write

What we ask of writers.