Age of the Nandas and Mauryas c2.4

c2.4

The names of the contributors of the different chapters are mentioned in the table of contents. I must thank them all for their valued cooperation and more for their patient waiting as the publication has been delayed so long for reasons beyond control. I must also express my gratitude to Dr. Rajendra Prasad, now President of the Indian Union, who has throughout taken a personal interest in the production and publication of the volume. Sir Jadunath Sarkar, although he felt constrained to give up his place as Editor-in-chief in 1946, continued to make kind enquiries about the progress of the work and my thanks are also due to him. They are also due to Dr. N. P. Chakravarti, formerly Director-General of Archaeology, for permission to reproduce the map of Aśoka's Empire published by him in *Ancient India*, No. 4. I must also thank the Director-General of Archaeology and the other authorities mentioned against particular illustrations for their permission to reproduce them in the volume. The authorities of the British Museum kindly supplied the casts of the coins illustrated in Plate I. Sri Jayachandra Vidyalankar, Secretary of the Bhāratīya Itihās Parishad, did me the favour of reading my chapter on Alexander's campaigns in India and offering suggestions of value. The publishers, it will be seen, have spared no effort to make the volume worthy of their great standing among Indian publishers. The reader will notice that the transliteration is not uniform, but combines two systems using ṣ-sh, and c-ch indiscriminately; this has been due in part to my ill health at the time I prepared the book for the press, and I crave the indulgence of the reader for any inconvenience he may feel on this account.