ABSTRACT
The centenary of the revolt of 1857 saw the publication of two outstanding books on the uprising. One, by S.N. Sen, was officially sponsored by the government of India and the other by S.B. Chaudhuri was independently researched and published. This essay seeks to contrast the approach and the emphasis of the two books, both of which were written under the influence of nationalism. The authors used and read the existing archives very differently and tried to come to terms with the idea that the uprising was a war of independence.
