This volume examines new ways of conceptualizing consumption historically in South Asia through a series of case studies on different commodities and consuming groups. It argues that notwithstanding the widespread character of poverty and the absence of a mass consumer society, consumption practices and attitudes about consumption have been critical factors in the constitution of South Asian society, culture, and economy since the late eighteenth century. The introduction examines patterns and trends; outlines the subject and arguments; and points to ways in which the collection challenges and enriches existing understandings of the subcontinent and its past.