Sake Dean Mahomet (1759- 1851) is thought to be the first South Asian (from the Indian subcontinent) to have written a book in English language. He wrote a book The Travel of Dean Mahomet, based on his travel of Ireland in 1784. He belonged to a Muslim family of Bengal.

According to Muneeza Shamsie, "Sake Dean Mahomet began to lose prominence by the Victorian era, however, and was largely forgotten by history until recently. Cases Cured, Shampooing Surgeon, Inventor of the Indian medicated Vapour and Sea Water Baths etc are some of the main books written by him (Sake Dean Mahomet)."

Michael H Fisher has written a book on this topic. The First Indian Author in English: Dean Mahomet in India, Ireland an England, was published by the Oxford University Press, Delhi in 1996.