Mussoorrie ends with `ee' which sounds feminie, so presumably it is called as the Queen of Hill Station. On the other hand, Simla, its original name ends with `aa' which has a masculine connotation, so it can aptly be hailed as the King of the hills. Therefore the author of the book, `Shimla - A British Himalayan Town' does full justice to its erstwhile royal grandeur.

Simla - Past and Present, written by Mr. E. J. Buck, is a great effort to describe old time Shimla, but it covers the period only upto 1925. Though, certain shimla lovers have since come out with some publications highlighting certain facets of this lovely town, a volume encompassing its life and ecology was the cry of the hour. Mr. Sumit Raj Vashisht's aforesaid book fills this void. Infact, it describes Shimla's people, buildings, roads, flora and fauna in a style which keeps the reader absorbed as well as much informed and enriched. One may say that the book links up the past with the present. It tells all that one needed to know about Shimla, giving one a panoramic view.