In addition to his magnum opus, the English translation and commentary of the Quran, Abdullah Yusuf Ali wrote a great deal on diverse subjects. But in his longer and more substantial works he was pre-eminently a social historian with special focus on art, religion and intellect. The four relatively short books reproduced in this volume emphasize this dimension of his professionalism. These four books are A Monograph on Silk Fabrics, Life and Labour of the People of India 1907, India and Europe and Three Travelers to India.