| Chapter No. | Chapter Title | Chapter Author | Page No. |
| Introduction | | 1 |
| I | The History of the Pearl Fishery from the Earliest Times to 400 A.D. | | 11 |
| II | The Pearl trade and the commercial relations between South India and other countries till 400 A.D. | | 25 |
| III | The History of the Pearl Fishery Between 400 A.D. and 1000 A.D. | | 46 |
| IV | The History of the Pearl Fishery under the Imperial Cholas, (990 - 1216 A.D.) | | 52 |
| V | The History of the Pearl Fishery under the Later Pandyas, (1216 -1524 A.D.) | | 59 |
| VI | The History of the Pearl Fishery under the Portuguese (1524 - 1658 A.D.) | | 78 |
| VII | The History of the Pearl Fishery under the Dutch (1658 - 1796 A.D.) | | 104 |
| VIII | The History of the Pearl Fishery in the Nineteenth Century, A.D. | | 131 |
| IX | Conclusion | | 146 |
