The Social Framework of Agriculture

The late Dr Harold H Mann (1872-1961) was perhaps the most distinguished authority on the Indian countryside in the twentieth century. Readers of The Economic Weekly may recall his sober assessment of the central mechanized state farm at Suratgarh, Rajasthan (''Progress at Suratgarh", December 17, 1960, Vol XII No. 51, pp 1827-28) and also the extracts from his letters which appeared in the issue for March 10, 1962 under the title, "Hopes and Fears for India." A volume containing thirty-five of Dr Mann's articles has been edited by Daniel Thorner and is shortly to appear in India under the title "The Social Framework of Agriculture: India, Middle East, England''. We are pleased to print below the scientific introduction to this forthcoming volume contributed by Dr F C Bawden, FES, Director of the celebrated Rothamsted Experimental Station. Along with it we print Daniel Thorner's appreciation of Dr Mann's special and economic studies; and a partial bibliography of Dr Mann's works, restricted principally to his books and to his economic and social articles.