This book is a bit daunting, with its 300 pages of close print, but it’s worth persevering with.

It tells the fascinating story of the diverse conglomerate, Inchcape. It all started with the first Earl of Inchcape, James Lyle Mackay, who learnt Hindustani in the late 19th century, when the Empire was at its height. He seized on trade opportunities with a speed...