84 ' SOCIAL SCIENTIST ation into the landless, poor peasants (those who own between one and 2.5, acres), self-sufficient farmers (between 2.5 and 7.5 acres), well-to-do farmers( between 7.5 and 15 acres), rich farmers(bctween 15 and 30 acres)and big farmers{owning more than 30 acres in one village). The relative performance of these different sections and the interaction of class, technology and bureaucracy are well documented and analysed. The manner in which the political processes enter into this situation through the panchayats and political parties and the relationship between caste, class and power are examined. This gives an idea of the coverage of the book. ^ A great deal of the material in the book is descriptive in nature. But in the understanding of the problems of development it serves a very useful purpose. Those who are dealing with development problems are increasingly realising that while there is a superabundance of prescriptive theories and remedial suggestions, there are many major gaps in the knowledge of how the system actually operates. The descriptive material in the book goes a long way in throwing light on these dark spots. For instance, tenancy as a concept is widely used in the literature on agricultural economics and rural development. Bat it is important to recognize tha,( there are many varieties of tenancies, each with its own specie features of owner-cultivator relationship. Again, it is a well known fact that there are many loopholes in the land ceiling legislations which enable the big land owners to dodge the laws, but it is useful to know how exactly this i? done. The treatment of "some typical households'3 (pp 168-182) is a useful complement to the typology of classes a few pages earlier. To give just one more example of this kind, one speaks in the abstract usually about the system's bias in favour of the rich and against the poor, and usually it is interpreted as the hold the rich have over the system. One gets a very different perspective about the whole thing when it is realised that often it is through genuine efforts "to get things done" that this bias manifests itself clearly. Speaking primarily 9,3 an economist dealing with the problems of development I would say that while abstract and theoretical discussions of development issues are necessary they can turn out to be arid or even misleading unless they are based on the kind of descriptive material contained in this work. But as pointed out earlier, the intention of the book is not merely to inform, but also to analyse. In this repect the author's performance is not as impressive as her skill in description; to pick out a few specific issues. Chapter II dealing with agriculture and caste gives a good account of the close relationship between caste