Allamah Abul Fazl's The Akbar Nama will always retain its fascination and charm as a minute account of the customs and traditions of the people of India during the reign of Akbar, the ablest of the Mughal emperors, who has been so much extolled by historians for his sagacious statesmanship, dexterous diplomacy and military skill. The historical importance of this admirable treatise of reference is further enhanced by the fact that its author was Akbar's intimate friend and confidential adviser, and therefore, had access to information at fust hand.
The three volumes cover the period from 1542 A.D. to 1605 A.D., and each volume contains introduction, various explanatory notes from Mr. Beveridge and an index at the end. H. Beveridge, with occasional interruptions, spent over twenty years in translating this monumental work in three volumes from the Bibliotheca Indica edition of the text after consulting many manuscripts in the British Museum, the India Office, and the Royal Asiatic Society's Library. Originally published from 1902 to 1939 by the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, the volumes have now been reprinted.